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The Unloved Democracy of the Inter-War Period |
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Page 9 of 11
The State Treaty as a Foundation
In 1956 the Austrians recognized the true value of the State Treaty when in October of this same year a revolution broke out in Hungary against the Communist dictatorship. Despite American admonitions, there was a very great danger that Soviet troops would cross the borders into Austria. During those critical days of October and November, the Austrian army, which had only been established a short time before with the help of the Western Allies, passed its first test. The streams of refugees which poured into Austria as Hungary's immediate neighbor were managed with great efficiency by the Austrian authorities and, in a strong demonstration of solidarity, the Austrian people helped to supply the home-less with food and clothing.
In Article 7 of the State Treaty, Austria had pledged itself to finding favorable solutions for the ethnic minorities of the Croats in Burgenland and the Slovenes in Carinthia. These measures included putting up bilingual place-name signs, which in the autumn of 1972 led to riots by anti-minority groups. In a series of laborious negotiations a compromise was finally reached that foresaw the installation of new bilingual signs. Institutions such as councils composed of members of ethnic groups were also set up in order to monitor the developments. With an amendment to the Austrian Federal Constitution passed in 2000, the protection of minorities was officially incorporated into the Constitution as one of its provisions. In this way, the Austrian Federal Government turned a proposal made by the ethnic group councils in 1997 into reality.
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