After WWII, why was Austria not given back territory it had lost to Italy in WWI?

Question

Wasn't Austria an occupied nation? Hadn't Italy originally sided with Nazi Germany? Or was Austria considered just part of a defeated unified Nazi state?

Answer 1

Here's a couple factors to consider

One: Italy ended both wars allied to the western powers and the magority of the "real" fighting they did was against the Nazis rather than for them. When the Allies landed in Sicily, there was Italian opposition, but it was rather weak and ended up being relatively easily over run. It wasn't until the Allies made the mainland and Nazi troops joined the battle that the "real" fighting began.When the Americans made Rome however, that was the death blow for the Fascists. Pro-monarchist elements staged a coup and brought western sympatisers to power in the capital. Mussolini fled north and Hitler installed him as the leader of puppet government that was defended almost entirely by GERMAN troops. By that time if you were Italian and packing a gun, you pretty likely to be fighting for the Allies. That alone prevented any Italian losses of territory. You don't take away land from an Ally.

Two: The re-definition of the Central European states instituted by Allies had very little to do with historical boundaries etc. Lines were drawn with primary consideration to the ethnic magority in the area or territoral integrity to a state (no more Polish corridors for example) This was then cemented by the biggest ethnic cleansing exercise that Europe has ever seen. Soldiers came and told people whatever their political allegiance that they had to just up and leave on pain of physical harm or death. Germans were to be in Germany, Czechs in Bohemia, Poles in Poland. Millions upon millions of people had to move. In the case of Italy vs Austria however this wasn't a problem. The vast magority of South Tyrol was in fact Italian and was with a mind to function much more at home in the Italian state.

Three: Hitler had wiped the state of Austria from the map as soon as his troops moved in. When the Allies came in, they re-instituted it and treated it just the same as they did greater Germany. There was French, British, American, and Soviet zones of governance for the country and Vienna was split up in the same fashion just as Berlin was. Now when the Iron Curtain fell and the BDR and the DDR emerged out of the occupation zones, the very same thing had been planned for Austria. Problem with this was a state based on the Soviet zone or even the western zones was not going to be economically viable like was the case in Germany. Austria was really nothing but territory without Vienna which pretty much had kept the rump state left after the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire going. If the city were split it would be crippled and so would the nation. Coupled with the logistics of supporting the new state in the mountains by crossing all of Eastern Europe on poor or non-existant trade routes (ie railways ran from Berlin to Warsaw and onto Moscow. Vienna was only reached by rail by going through Munich which of course was in American hands) convinced the Soviets to drop the cause and let Austria become a new, non-alligned state. That's why Austria was a late comer to NATO and the EU for example because that was a condition of not splitting the state up. I bring this up only to prove the point that the Austrains had something much bigger to deal with than South Tyrol.

Answer 2

It's kind of a long story, start off with the annexation which was passively accepted by the Western powers was not only a first violation of the territorial status of Europe as established after World War I, not only a hard blow for the Austrian people, but also a threat to all other countries of East Central Europe. Hungary and Yugoslavia were now Germany’s immediate neighbors, and Czechoslovakia, encircled on three sides, was naturally chosen as next victim.
Among the remaining treaties, the only ones which under such conditions could be signed in Paris on February 10, 1947, the one with Italy greatly reduced the territory of that country which had been defeated in World War II, in favor of Yugoslavia which had to yield to most Italian claims after their common victory in World War I

Answer 3

While it was technically an occupied state, the Austrians DID throw themselves enthusiastically into National Socialism and Hitler's cause. Also, don't forget Hitler was an Austrian by birth. For all practical purposes, Austria was as much the Allies enemy as was Germany. Why reward a country whose behaviour was suspicious at the very least?

Answer 4

Italy was allied with the UK France and US in WWI. They didn't want to take away territory from a former ally i'd imagine. Austria was essentially part of the Unified German State as well.

Answer 5

Because you don't get overt rewards for being the agressor in a major conflict.

I know the difference between Austria and Germany, I just doubt most people and most world leaders particularly, saw the difference then.

Besides, Russia was grabbing bits of that area, leaving those areas in Italy's hands probably kept them under "Western" control.

Answer 6

first of all, most of the teritories that autria lost to italy in ww1 were ethnically italian or slovenian and croatian. italy lost a lot of them to yugoslavia, including the ethnically italian lands.
sudtirol was the only german speaking area in italy but since the two countries were on the same side during the war the border was left untouched.
fascist italy had opposed longly to the anschluss.
the austrians were involved into the war as much as the germans.