---

Essays on Austrian-American relations-written over the past 30 years and collected here for the first time.

After the breakup of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian-American relationship was characterized by a dwarf confronting a giant. America continued to be a heaven for a better life for many Austrian emigrants. For the growing American preponderant position in the world after World War I, the small Austrian Republic was insignificant. And yet there were times when Austria mattered geopolitically. During the post-World War II occupation of Austria, the U.S. helped reconstruct Austria economically and was the biggest champion of its independence. During the Cold War, the U.S. frequently used Austria as a mediator site of summit meetings. American mass production models, consumerism, and popular culture were adopted by Austrian youth. Americanization and American preponderance also produced anti-Americanism. With the end of the Cold War and Austria´s accession to the European Union it once again lost signi-ficance for Washington´s geopolitics.

---

"Günter Bischof´s volume offers an interesting kaleidoscope about shared histories and stories, political crossroads, economic relations and cultural encounters." Austrian Newsmagazine, Matthias Falter "This excellent collection of ten essays written over the past fifteen years provides important insights into specific aspects of 20th century U.S.-Austrian relations." In: Contemporary Austrian Studies, Volume 24

---

Günter Bischof is the Marshall Plan Professor of History and Director of CenterAustria at the University of New Orleans.

---