Ms Stelzl-Marx, the new year in Austria began with a government crisis. Politics and society are facing major challenges and must develop viable solutions for the future. To what extent can a look at history help?
Stelzl-Marx: In the 20th century, we in Austria experienced several turning points – in 1918 with the end of the First World War and the collapse of the monarchy, in 1938 with the annexation of Austria by the National Socialist German Reich, 1945 the end of the Second World War, 1955 the State Treaty, the "liberation from the liberators", 1989 the fall of the Iron Curtain. I consider it extremely important to keep the memory of these turning points and of the totalitarian system of National Socialism alive. Looking back can and should help us to become more sensitive and attentive to what is happening today, and to draw the right conclusions from it.
You and your team focus on research and the lively communication of knowledge through events, exhibitions and publications. What will be your activities in 2025?
Stelzl-Marx: Anniversaries are always a good opportunity to raise awareness through events or research projects. We focus on topics that are of interest to the general public, are socio-politically relevant and have so far been relatively under-researched. We communicate the results of our research in such a way that they are accessible not only to a specialist audience, but also to the general public. This year, we have numerous activities planned. On 7 April, we are hosting an international conference at the University of Graz on the years 1945 – 1955 – 1975 – 1995. And from 26 April, the exhibition "Children of War. Growing up between 1938 and 1955" can be visited at the House of History in St. Pölten. Further events will follow.
In your research, you repeatedly focus on the fates of individuals. Why?
Stelzl-Marx: What particularly interests me is when macrohistory plays a role in microhistory, in individual biographies. Because in this way it becomes clear how much personal life is shaped by historical circumstances. Of course, this has more impact in an exceptional situation such as in war or under National Socialism, than in a peaceful, happy time. In the people who have fled to Austria from Ukraine we see how a war in one's home country turns life upside down, radically changing everything in the most private of spheres. We are currently conducting the interview project "Mitgenommen" (Taken Along) on this topic, talking to refugees from Ukraine.
As part of your research projects, you and your team repeatedly ask contemporary witnesses about their personal experiences. Why is this so important to you?
Stelzl-Marx: There are still people alive today who experienced the war, the end of the war and the occupation as children or young people. We can ask them what it was like back then. I also encourage my students to conduct interviews in their communities while there is still time. National Socialism is always a family history. In one way or another, it affected everyone in Austria, just as it did in Germany. Often, a family includes both victims and perpetrators, as well as followers. For a long time, all of this was shrouded in a wall of silence because people wanted to leave this dark period behind them and look ahead. But now eight decades have passed and it is becoming apparent that the experiences are still having an impact. Increasingly, people from the second and third generations also want to know what happened.
You answer such questions with the results of your research, which you make available to the public, for example in the exhibition "Hitler's Executive. The Austrian Police and National Socialism". It can be seen at the Graz Museum until 5 March 2025. After that, it will move to Klagenfurt, to the Salzburg Museum and to the House of History in St. Pölten. What reactions have you experienced?
Stelzl-Marx: We are repeatedly contacted by people who say that their father or grandfather, great-grandfather, was a police officer, a member of the SS or the Gestapo. ‘I would just like to know what happened.’ Even if the information they receive is painful. But just because you don't know something doesn't mean it doesn't affect you.
Is it difficult for you and your team to find witnesses who want to talk about their experiences?
Stelzl-Marx: No. The desire to talk and share memories is there. On 10 April, we will present my publication 'Roter Stern über Graz. 75 Tage sowjetische Besatzung 1945' at the Moser bookshop. For the research project, we searched for contemporary witnesses through the media. More than 70 responded, many more than we had expected. They told us how they experienced the end of the war on 8/9 May 1945 and the eleven weeks thereafter, when the Red Army was present in Graz. Until the British took over the occupation in the course of the zone agreement. The book reconstructs day by day, from this micro-perspective, what everyday life was like during this short but particularly memorable phase. In addition to the interviews, highly interesting archive documents and diary entries were used for this purpose.
And yet, despite everyone's interest in learning more about personal fates during the terrible times of National Socialism and the war, many seem to fail to see the parallels to the present. How do you explain that?
Stelzl-Marx: When we hear the call for a strong man, or even a strong "leader", then that is something we must consciously fight against. People who live in an authoritarian system suffer as a result – even today. They want democratic conditions first and foremost. That is why I am personally shocked that democracy and values such as human rights and freedom of expression are apparently no longer particularly appreciated by many people and that some are even willing to accept restrictions in this regard. I think the reason for this lies in a conglomeration of threats that people feel today – from economic problems to climate change to war, which is once again within reach. Corona has also led to a certain radicalisation in some people. A glance at history also shows that in a life situation that is perceived as threatening, many people are attracted to seemingly easy solutions, but only seemingly. I fear that too little reflection is taking place and that emotions have instead gained the upper hand.
Where do you see a need for further action for yourself and your team?
Stelzl-Marx: I believe that the new media play an extremely important role in influencing opinions and values. Especially when disinformation is no longer counteracted, this is a step in the wrong direction. Therefore, we will also have to make a significant contribution in the area of communicating our research and raising awareness via these media in order not to leave the field to the populists.
Department of History at the University of Graz / Contemporary History
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on Consequences of War