The proclamation of the Austrian Republic in November 1918 with the consequent collapse of the
Habsburg monarchy not only deprived the Church of its role but also brought about the advent
of a national identitarian debate in the newly-formed state bitterly renamed as the state that
nobody wanted. Thus the image of Austria started a process of reshaping from its former
imperial multiethnic identity to a never-ending search for a national Austrian identity the
sense of being Austrian soon turned into an element of class and political division
undermining the foundations of democracy. After the Second World War and the physical and
mental ruins of 1945 for a society that had lived a seven-year black-out following economic
collapse and civil war the end of democracy and the crimes of National Socialism Austria
restarted what would be a successful process of national identity construction. A parliamentary
democracy was rebuilt based on a twofold political consensus and thanks to American support
an economically successful republican society came into being. This was how Austria became a
nation whose shared and common values were further strengthened when the country became a
member of the European Union. Thus adopting Andreas Khol's quote from the country that nobody
wanted Austria has become a state that everyone wants.About the author:Luca Lecis is Associate
Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Cagliari. His research activity has been
directed in particular to the study of contemporary Austria and Austrian society in the
twentieth century and to the relationship between the Catholic Church and Austrian Catholics
and politics. Among his publications: From Euro-optimism to Euro-scepticism. Austria's Long
March towards European Integration (1945-2005) in: Guido LEVI - Daniela PREDA (eds.)
Euroscepticisms. Resistance and Opposition to the European Community European Union Bologna
2019 pp. 449-460 Soixante-dix ans après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. L''heure zéro' en
Autriche: continuité ou rupture? in: Allemagne d'aujourd'hui n. 224 (2018) pp. 104-112 Dal
'total control' all'indipendenza. L'Austria nel contesto della Guerra fredda 1945-1955 Perugia
2016 La costruzione dello stato-nazione in Austria. Una comunità immaginata? in: Ricerche di
Storia Politica n. 3 (2014) pp. 337-350 Colla-teralismo e disimpegno. Chiesa e cattolici in
Austria tra autoritarismo e democrazia 1932-1952 in: Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique n. 108
(2013) pp. 876-907.
