Possibilities at a Turning Point: A Glimpse at the Republic’s First Years

Autumn 1918 marks the beginning of a new era. Habsburg rule has come to an end after more than 600 years. Several new states are founded on the territory of the former monarchy. One of them is “German-Austria”—a democratic republic that promises equal rights for everyone. From one day to the next, as a citizen every woman now has a voice in politics. The state stops using censorship to control what people are allowed to say or write, and abolishes the death penalty. It is a republic full of opportunities, but many of them are not taken up.

This new beginning is inextricably linked to the end of the First World War, during which cutting-edge technology was used for mass killing. Millions of people have died and the survivors are badly affected by the war. The population suffers shortages because for many years, the economy was focused on the war effort. Troop transports spread a virus around the world and the outbreak of “Spanish Flu” brings the first flu pandemic.

People of this era are shaped by contradictions: They are finally living in peace but the war has been lost. They have undreamt-of freedoms but also little they can rely on. The hungry demand better food supplies while the wealthy fear for their property. A new state emerges but what form it will take is unclear. Radical change is in the air and it affects all areas of life. Nothing is as it was before.