Vienna in the First World War – how the city changed

Vienna was not a combat zone, and the population was therefore never confronted directly by the war. This was one reason why the city at the end of the war had not changed much externally. The war nevertheless left its mark in many different ways. The inhabitants had to make great sacrifices on account of the increasingly dire supply situation. More and more people were caught up in a vicious circle of undernourishment, disease and frequently death. The war found its way into everyday life and changed customary habits such as shopping, cooking or heating, had an effect on clothing and fashions and demanded new time planning on account of the hours of queuing. The first waves of refugees increased the mood of hostility towards foreigners, with Jewish refugees being targeted in particular. When the patriotic euphoria began to wane, the militarization and years of shortage made themselves felt in the form of an increasingly aggressive mood, in petty criminality and violence, and in other acts prompted by the increasing food shortages.

Translation: Nick Somers