By: C. William Hanson Jr.

Our previous issues concerning Ukraine’s courageous fight against war criminal Vladimir Putin have provided coverage from Ukraine itself and from other lands, those neighboring Ukraine or sharing the Black Sea, or providing the majority of military aid which Ukraine has received since the invasion began. The ongoing genocide in Gaza has also received our attention. 

But peaceful Austria lies hundreds of miles from Ukraine and, whether measured by square miles of territory or by population, ranks substantially below North Carolina. Moreover Austria does not belong to NATO,  and according both to the Austrian Constitution and to the 1955 Austrian State Treaty, Austria must maintain neutrality and decline to join any military alliances. Indeed, Vienna has come under heavy criticism since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war for maintaining ties with Moscow.

From a historical perspective, the answer to this question focuses on the human values at stake in Ukraine, a democracy, in its struggle against a bellicose and expansionist dictator. In this issue let us aim for enhanced historical perspective on this struggle, a battle for freedom against autocracy, exemplifying a recurrent conflict which goes back at least as far as the fifth century BC and the Greco-Persian wars. In the Modern Era (1500-1945), an admiration for ancient European cultures led to the Enlightenment. We offer here a link to a cute and quick (2 ½ minute) refresher from the Fraser Institute:

Enlightenment values in the eighteenth century never achieved full official enactment. Slavery continued to exist with official recognition in the U.S, Constitution of 1789. The French Revolution culminated in a Reign of Terror and ultimately the Napoleonic Empire, established in 1804.  Nor, of course, did the Habsburg monarchy in Vienna fully conform to Enlightenment ideals. Yet thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, along with local intellectuals, inspired many reforms in governance during the reigns of emperors like Maria Theresa and Joseph II. Policies provided for religious tolerance, educational reforms, and the reduction of feudal privileges, all inspired by Enlightenment ideals of rationality and equality.

As you know if you have read our previous issue, until the twentieth century, Ukrainian peoples never experienced the freedom of self determination which the Enlightenment advocated.  The lands which now constitute Ukraine belonged to neighboring countries. The eastern lands of Ukraine belonged to Russia. Ukrainians under Russian rule faced severe repression, language restrictions, and policies aimed at eradicating their cultural identity. For example, the 1863 Valuev Circular and the 1876 Ems Act specifically targeted the Ukrainian language, making it illegal to publish books in Ukrainian or teach in the language in schools. Moreover, the shifting political landscape post-World War I led to a significant reconfiguration of borders, and saw many more Ukrainians, largely those in the western lands, come under Soviet control. The  harsh realities which followed included  famine, repression, and a systematic dismantling of Ukrainian culture. 

In the early years of the eighteenth century, Ukrainians in their western lands experienced conditions not much better than those under Russian rule in the  east. In the west of what is now Ukraine,  the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled. The Polish nobility often viewed Ukrainians as peasants or serfs, leading to a suppression of Ukrainian cultural expression and limited access to education.

In 1740 the Habsburg monarch Maria Theresa began her reign

The sole female to ever rule the Habsburg dominions, she was a remarkable historical figure who reigned until her death in 1780. She was notable not only for her ability to navigate the complexities of a male-dominated political landscape but also for her resilience in the face of numerous challenges both at home and abroad. She always favored diplomacy and alliances based on royal marriage, and did not make wars.  

In 1772 occurred the first and, for Austria, the most important of three partitions of Poland, seizures and division of Poland by Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Austria gained significant Ukrainian territories, primarily the region known as Galicia. This included both eastern and western parts of Galicia, which encompassed key urban centers and agricultural lands. Eastern Galicia included areas with a substantial Ukrainian population and important cities such as Lviv (then known as Lwów) and Peremyshl, and a substantial number of Ukrainians also resided in Western Galicia, though the majority of inhabitants there were Polish.  

Maria Theresa and her regime in Ukrainian speaking areas under their control established policies and programs which endured until World War One. She allowed for a degree of administrative autonomy in regions like Galicia. This resulted in some opportunities for Ukrainians to pursue their cultural identity. For instance, Ukrainian language and literature began to flourish in this environment in local schools and cultural societies. Especially in these areas under Austrian rule, late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a resurgence in Ukrainian nationalism and cultural expression, driven by a growing sense of identity among the Ukrainian population, as well as the establishment of organizations that promoted Ukrainian language, folklore, and arts.

Following the conclusion of World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ukrainian territories previously ruled by Austria entered a tumultuous period of national identity struggles, territorial disputes, and shifting allegiances that would shape their future in the interwar period and beyond. Yet the independent Ukrainian cultural identity, which grew stronger  under the relatively benign Austrian rule, lived on.

Of course Zelensky’s visit to Vienna did not occur as a mere celebration of past history. His visit achieved some practical objectives which he and the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced in a joint press conference as the visit concluded.  

(DRM News)

At this press conference Van der Bellen reaffirmed Austria’s neutral stance on military matters, but emphasised that Austria is “by no means politically neutral,” voicing support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia.  Zelensky announced that Ukraine and Austria had signed agreements on critical areas such as de-mining, energy, cybersecurity and reconstruction.

By the way, Vienna, the city in Austria which Zelensky visited, is the cultural, economic, and political center of the country, the fifth-largest city by population in the European Union, and the most populous of the cities on the river Danube.  I had the pleasure of recently visiting a friend there, Lenz from South Tirol, once part of Austria.

Our next issue will continue the discussion of basic human rights and  liberties with a focus on recent events in Hungary.

Reader Comments

Hi, Dr Hanson. I read your latest edition of the Hanson Gazette early this morning. Your latest issue touches on a subject that should be important to everyone living in the US, and around the world. Academic institutions are supposed to be something of the sacred, where free speech is one of the basic tenets. The recent unabashed attacks on students, faculty, and the schools themselves have been shameful, to say the very least. And the news of international students having their visas either denied, or revoked, is shocking. We are already paying a big price. (June 1st)

Kate Oneil