Austria - STP No. That's how one American writer described Austria's economy. From giant steelworks in Linz, to ski lodges in Innsbruck, to financial centers in Vienna, Austrians have rebuilt an economy that lay in ruins just two generations ago. Tourists in Vienna for a Schubert or Mozart festival can sense why Austria's gross national product ranks among the world's top 25. Hotels are packed.
Streets fill with workers on lunch breaks.
Shops can't keep up with orders for crystal handcrafts. They had help. Thus, Austria and other war-torn nations could restart industries, create jobs, and promote sales. Soon, the sale of metals and power turned the ERP funds into profits, then into savings, then into loans for starting other businesses. Despite such growth, post-war Austrians feared a communist takeover of their key industries.