...with its useful bibliography and index, this is a most lucid and
helpful contribution to a satisfying growth in English language material
devoted to Austria under the Allied occupation. German History
Steininger's meticulous attention both to the subtle details of the
negotiations (and the subsidiary issues they raised) combined with his
broader view of the international context sets this book apart from the
numerous other commemorative histories that appeared to mark the
fiftieth anniversary, and makes it a particularly useful study to have
translated into English. European History Quarterly
Overall, ... Steininger has produced a compact summary of research on
the Austrian State Treaty. The chronology of important events, the
bibliography, and, above all, the index constitute useful tools for the
reader. It is particularly welcome that this short and handy textbook
summary has now been made available to a wider audience via the
English-language edition. German Politics & Society
The story told certainly fits into its ostensible contexts of postwar
diplomatic history and international affairs, but, whether intended by
the author or not, this is also the story of the course of post-imperial
Austria's incestuous infatuation with, marriage to, and divorce from its
German cousin. How the first decade of the Cold War helped to bring this
about so that the Austrian entity that emerged from this German liaison
did so with relatively few congenital deformities is not only the
underlying story of this book, but perhaps its more important
accomplishment. Central European History
[Steininger] has given us an erudite, comprehensive analysis that
illuminates the important role Austria played in that initial decade of
the Cold War. This book should read by scholars, undergraduates, and
graduate students who are interested in 20th-century diplomatic history
of Austria and Germany and the four major powers of the Grand Alliance.
It is also excellent for those interested in the Soviet mind and in
Soviet diplomatic maneuverings of the first decade of the Cold War.
Journal of Slavic Military Studies
Overall, Der Staatsvertrag is an exceptionally useful work. The
argument is both well thought out and provocative. It is short enough
for undergraduate consumption, detailed enough for graduate students,
and broad enough to apply to a variety of courses dealing with Austria,
Germany, Central Europe, and the Cold War. H-NET German
Steininger contributes to our knowledge of Soviet behavior regarding
Austria and German, while summarizing with remarkable skill the complex
and frequently baffling events that transpired over a period of
seventeen years... Steininger's book fits nicely with the historiography
of Austria's role as a battlefield in the Cold War and indeed of
Austria's importance in four-power wrangling over the fate of Germany, a
more important issue. Austrian History Yearbook
Rolf Steininger, professor emeritus, from 1984-2010 head of the
Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Innsbruck,
presently at the Free University of Bolzano; European Union Jean-Monnet
Professor, senior fellow of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies
of the University of New Orleans, and the author of numerous books,
articles, and television documentaries. www.rolfsteininger.at
