Evening star., 1937-03-21
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


trian border with his aides and his
new gorgeous uniforms, prepared to
cross the frontier to an accompani-
ment of church bells and booming
cannon And within a few days the
youth is compelled to return his uni
forms to moth-proof bags and take the
road to Belgium-to exile.
Austria wants him and he wants
Austria. Until 1884 it was the Little
Entente that played the role of the
heavy father. Now it is Hitler. The
opposition of the former Austrian citi-
zen to HapSburg restoration is not due
to the fact that he cannot bear to see
his former sovereign on the throne
He feels that ruler of the HapSburg
dynasty might easily cross his purpose
OF making Austria SubServient tool
In the hands of the German Reich.
Until the end of the World War
the Austro-Hungarian empire was the
financial, industrial and cultural CEN
ter of Central and Southeastern Eu-
rope. The peoples of the Balkans
looked upon Vienna as their money
market, as their principal economic
outlet, and their Paris for education
and amusement.
The disruption of the empire left
Austria small republic no larger
than its neighborS, numbering barely
5000 900 inhabitants of whom 2000,-
600 were crowded into its cspi-
tai, Vienna That city has lost its
hegemony as capital of the Balkans,
but international finance and COM
merce have made it into a clearing
house for East and West Austria
has shrunk IN Importance, but Vienna
still retains some Of its former Strate-
gic significance.
Powers Seek to Dominate.
The powers of Europe-France,
Italy, Great Britain ito a certain de-
gree and now Germany-have all
sought to dominate the little republic
and its huge capital. Intrigues have
always been favorite pastime Of the
inhabitants of Vienna. With their
desire for intrigue whetted by alien
money Vienna and Austria became
the hotbed Of international plots. AS
IN the small medival states of the Old
German empire, every province had
It's army, its special police force and
its militia. The feeble Vienna govern
ment has no means of controlling the
distant provinces seething with their
recalcirant minorities. 1t had its
hands full with the struggle between
the MarXiSt socialists in the pay of
Russia and the various natjonalistic
factions.
When Hitler came to power the
nationalistS were won over to his NaZl
doctrines, and in putsch against
the government they aSSasslnated the
diminutiye Chancellor DOllfuss. A
period of anarchy followed, but thanks
to the determined stand Of the mur-
dered statesman's protector. Signor
Mussolini, who rushed four army
corps to the Austrian border. the
nominal independence Of Austria was
maintained, Chancellor Schuschnigg
stepped into Dollfuss' shoes, assisted
by the big, clustering pleasurel loving
Prince Won Starhemberg, who had
dreams of becoming another duce.
This he might have accomplished,
had it not been--so the story goes, at
least-for the blue eyes of pretty
Austrian girl whom. he happened to
meet after he left Rome in 1885.
Schuschnigg had stripped him OF his
power in Austria. Starhemberg
planned coup d'etat, but had to
obtain MuSsolinis consent first Mus
solini saw him, urged him to bide
his time, and sent him back to Vienna
On the way, however. the blond Aus
trlan came into his path, and while
his supporters were waiting for a
signal to move against the chancel-
lor's forces in Vienna, the prince was
honeymoonlng near Venice. And that
was the end of his dictatorial ambi-
tions
Two Protectors Vie.
Soon after the renaissance of Ger
nanys military power Austria be-
gan to come out of the darkness. In
stead Of number of would-be pro-
tectors jockeying for special advan-
tages, there were now only two, Mus
solnl and Hitler. The former had
taken it upon himself to tell the world
that whoever lays hands on Austria
must reckon with Italys armies. Hit
Ter was less bold. He endeavored to
bring a'out a Nazi coup. But the
political wisdom of the Wilhelmstrasse
which was carefully planning an
Italian German alliance kept Der
Fuehrer from pushing his plans too
lar. Austria had indicated in 1881
that it wanted to become a part of
Germany at time when the latter
was still the Germany of the Weimar
constitution. With Hitler in power
the Austrians were less eager for an
Anschluss.
Although the relations with the
Reich were bad after the attempted
putsch, Germany's advances were not
rejected when during the Ethiopian
campaign Mussolini advised the Aus
trlan government to keep on good
terms with the Nazis. 1t was a part
OF the German-Italian bargain. The
two foreign Offices agreed that since
Austria, through her geographical
position, might become a dangerous
bone of contention between the two
countries, it would be better to leave
her as she was, country friendly to
Germany and one to be relied on for
immediate assistance on the Italian
border. In July, 1886, an agreement
between Germany and Austria was
reached whereby the repressive meas
ures enacted by the German govern
mnt against Austrian tourists, meas
ures which had been adopted after the
failure of the 1885 Nazi uprising, were
abolished, and a commercial and
political pact between the two coun-
tries was signed.
With the signature of these agree
ments the German Minister in Vienna,
Herr Won Papen, became the virtual
ruler of the republic. This was admit
ted by the Italians themselves. Last
August high official in Rome told
this writer, when he said he was going
to Vienna: why waste time? Herr
Won Panen is at preSent in Berlin IF