Great Power Politics and the Struggle over Austria, 1945–1955

In this account of an unusual episode in the Cold War, Audrey Kurth Cronin examines the negotiations over Austria and the Soviet Union's sudden and surprising decision to withdraw its troops and accept the country as a neutral Western state, after having rejected any settlement for eight years.

Audrey Kurth Cronin is Trustees Professor of Security and Technology and Director of the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Cronin's discussion of this drawn-out diplomatic struggle between the Great Powers since 1945 over Austria is a competent account, set against the background of the dire need to reestablish Austria's independence and of the numerous crises of the cold war and the Korean and Indochinese wars.

Cronin's thoroughly researched account can be commended, alike for its clear narrative and its generally sound conclusions. On the grandes lignes, and notably the reasons for the Soviet volte-face in 1954–1955, she strikes a judicious balance, eschewing what tends still to be a common view that neutrality as such was the key to the Austrian settlement.

A useful introduction to the diplomacy of the Austrian question. The book makes a contribution by providing a more complete picture of American and British policy than that given in previous accounts.

Audrey Kurth Cronin greatly amplifies our knowledge with this first-rate assessment of Austria's place in the rivalries of the great powers between 1945 and 1955. A most revealing addition to the history of post-war Europe.

Vojtech Mastny, Center for International Relations, Boston University:

Cronin conveys the authentic flavor of the Cold War era, with its mixture of the often unbearable tension and pervasive frustration. Her book is likely to remain the last word on the origins of Austrian neutrality for a long time to come.