Gertrude Enderle-Burcel, Dieter Stiefel, Alice Teichova (Hrsg.): Sonderband 9. „Zarte Bande” – Österreich und die europäischen planwirtschaftlichen Länder / „Delicate Relationships” – Austria and Europe’s Planned Economies (2006)
Eduard Kubů: Restoration and Régularisation of Economie Cooperation under the Circumstances of Accelerating Cold War
RESTORATION AND REGULARISATION OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACCELERATING COLD WAR Czechoslovak-Austrian Economic Relations in 1945-1955 Eduard Kubù The economic relations of the Czech Lands and Slovakia with Austria have a long historical tradition, which stems from the centuries-long joint development within a single state unit. The disintegration of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy loosened the universal economic connection and the traditional ties but these were by no means broken. Close economic relations between Czechoslovakia and Austria existed until the annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938. These core of the mutual relations was in the sphere of foreign trade. In the first years after World War 1, Austria was Czechoslovakia’s most important trade partner; during the second half of the twenties and during the thirties Austria ranked second, with Germany being the most important partner. Still in 1937, Czechoslovak exports to Austria amounted to nearly CZK 1 billion (seven percent of total exports); imports reached nearly CZK 0.5 billion (more than four percent of total imports). Austrian re-exports of Czechoslovak goods and the flow of goods through the “refinement process” were also significant. The flow of capital between the two countries (investments and loans) retained its extraordinary importance. The two national economies were closely connected in the field of transport as well as in the sector of patents and licences. Large business organisations were quite often interconnected in terms of interests - through personnel, capital as well as numerous cartel agreements.1 World War II almost completely broke the traditional relations and ties. Their restoration was complicated by a number of problems arising from the political, economic and social consequences of the war as well as partly from pre-war factors such as the Czechoslovak guarantee for the Austrian state loan of 1922. The Czechoslovak government had to pay instalments on the Austrian guaranteed loan 1 Further details see Österreich und die Tschechoslowakei 1918-1938. Wirtschaftliche Neuordnung in Zentraleuropa in der Zwischenkriegszeit, Alice Teichova u. Herbert Matis Hg. Wien-Köln-Weimar 1996; Teichova, Alice: Überlegungen zur wirtschaftspolitischen Lage Österreichs im Mtteleuropa der Zwischenkreigszeit. Mitteilungen des österreichischen Staatsarchivs, Sonderband 5. Wien 2000, S. 219-227. Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs/Sonderband 9 197
