Culture of commemoration

The First World War as a place of commemoration in the various former belligerent countries depends not least on their status as winner or loser. While the war in France and Britain became the Great War – at least until the anniversary celebrations in 2014 – it does not play a significant role in the Austrian or German culture of commemoration. There is no central memorial in Austria devoted explicitly to the First World War. In the media and historiography, the assassination of Crown Prince Ferdinand in Sarajevo was seen as the beginning of the end of the Monarchy. The establishment of the First Republic is one of the most significant events in Austrian history of the last 100 years, although it is now generally overshadowed in popular memory by the “rebirth” of the state after the Second World War.