his summer saw unprecedented travel toward Europe resulting in severe delays, cancellations, lost baggage, and general chaos. This “revenge travel” is partly a consequence of pent-up demand, partly a function of COVID-related layoffs, and, at least for Americans, the Euro being at its weakest in years. I, myself, experienced a touch of this chaos on a recent research trip to London with stops in Dublin and Nottingham. Had I read Angus Robertson’s “The Crossroads of Civilization” (a copy of which was kindly provided by the publisher for review) prior to, and not during, my travel, I would have almost certainly added a stop in Austria’s capital, Vienna.
Robertson, a former journalist in Vienna, former member of UK Parliament, and current secretary in the Scottish Cabinet pens a book-length love letter to the city. His deeply researched book explores not just the political and diplomatic history of the city and its role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond, but also the city’s cultural tapestry and more. The story of Vienna is the story of modern Europe and the foundations on which much of today’s map—geopolitical, historical, cultural, and more—are lain.
While there are innumerable histories of Paris, London, or Berlin, there are comparably few of Vienna, which after reading “The Crossroads of Civilization” is all the more remarkable. Vienna is indeed a crossroads for so much and so many. From its role as a demarcation point between the Roman Empire and the barbarians beyond the wall (and where Emperor Marcus Aurelius died), to the setting for Cold War diplomatic summits, Vienna is the site of such rich history. This is the story that Robertson tells in such a vivid and enthusiastic fashion.
Much in European history turned on events in Vienna. Had the 1529 Siege of Vienna or the 1683 battle of Vienna been won by the Ottoman Empire, the history of Europe and its political landscape would be different today. The Twentieth Century would assuredly been dramatically different, had Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand escaped with his life in Sarajevo. It is equally remarkable to realize just how many figures passed through Vienna on their way to shape history. At one point, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Josip Broz Tito all passed through the city. According to Robertson, Hitler and Stalin even walked through the same parks, though there is nothing to suggest that they ever met or that their paths crossed—but still, it certainly is a fascinating “what-if?” to consider.
These are just some of the fascinating anecdotes woven throughout the book, some even more striking than expected. Readers are unlikely to know the role that the Austro-Hungarian Empire played in Brazil’s independence. Maria Leopoldina, daughter of Emperor Francis II, married Dom Pedro de Alcântara, the Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves in a strategic alliance between the two powers. She later became sympathetic to Brazilian independence—writing to her father-in-law in Lisbon, urging him to ratify the independent constitution and to her own father to form an alliance. The yellow in Brazil’s flag is the color of the Habsburg dynasty.
Robertson’s description of the Congress of Vienna is riveting—both for its content and the author’s clear fascination with and passion for the 1814 gathering of Europe’s great, grand, and merely good. This critical conclave, set to define a new, post-Napoleonic War map of Europe, but it also, under the careful guidance and manipulation of Prince Klemens von Metternich, led to a golden age of diplomacy. Ambassadorial levels of status were defined, protocols established, and the foundations of modern diplomatic engagements with which modern audiences would be familiar were laid down.
One suspects modern diplomats wished they were engaged in the style of diplomacy of the early 19th century—certainly following the victory over Napoleon. Filled with parties, galas, balls, and celebrations, thoroughly lubricated by flowing alcohol and scandal, the Congress of Vienna was as bacchanalian as it was diplomatic. It is a far cry from today’s embassies (at least American) behind high walls, stale engagements with dryly recited talking points, and boring cocktail circuit. Guests were welcomed with a 1,000-gun salute and a parade attended by 100,000 people. The period that followed, subtitled “The Age of Metternich” by the author, serves as an interesting juxtaposition to the grandeur of the Congress of Vienna—the political and diplomatic arrangement that followed that gathering lasted but a generation, before the revolutionary fervor of 1848 undermined the post-Congress stability.
Vienna’s post-First World War history saw a marked right-ward shift in politics, repression, and anti-Semitism (something that had bubbled below the surface). The city saw an exodus of the same figures that made Vienna a cultural and societal center, and later served as fertile ground for National Socialists and the rise of Hitler. Germany’s annexation and the legacy of those years tainted Vienna and Austria in the aftermath of the Second World War.
It was occupied by four powers including the United States and Soviet Union—the latter of which agreed to withdraw from Austria’s territory, marking it the only territory Moscow seized in the war, but returned peacefully before the collapse of communism. Throughout the Cold War it was a hotbed of intrigue and espionage—though not for what secrets the Austrians themselves held, but as a field of battle for spy-versus-spy between the West and the East. Here it is unsurprising that Vienna should continue the role it played historically as the crossroads, both with dead drops and diplomacy.
What is particularly striking about “The Crossroads of Civilization” is Robertson’s attention to the legacy of history on the city of Vienna itself. He charts the city’s growth and expansion, the inner turmoil of its narrow confines before the Emperor decreed the destruction of its walls and the expansion of its boundaries. The splendor of the imperial palaces and royal estates retained today, but merely converted into the government buildings and museums. Readers should be unsurprised if they end the book wanting to travel to Vienna have they not already done so. The cultural tapestry of Vienna is sublime—Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Hadyn, and more composed and performed music in Vienna’s halls. Gustav Klimt, the painter of the romantic piece “the Kiss,” hailed from Vienna.
Robertson’s epilogue is a delight, and there is a sense that it is perhaps, a missed opportunity. He travels the city’s metro, highlighting its history among the stops along the way. It would have made for a fine structure on which to hang the richly written and deeply researched narrative he presents—a way to truly see the city he loves through his eyes. This is truly a minor quibble (and perhaps a thought for a follow-up book)—merely an item that would have made an already enjoyable book even more so.
In the end, the greatest joy of Robertson’s book and others like it is his palpable joy and fascination with his subject. Books written by authors who truly have a passion and feel for a place are delightful to read. You cannot help but be swept up in their enthusiasm, in their infectious joie de vivre—this is the case with Robertson’s book. In what could have been a dry, though exceedingly well-researched, recitation of history, instead Robertson pens a love letter to Vienna, a city he so thoroughly enjoys.
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Europe’s Crossroads, Then & Now
Vienna, Austria. Photo by Jacek Dylag via Unsplash.
August 6, 2022
The story of Vienna is the story of modern Europe and the foundations on which much of today’s map—geopolitical, historical, cultural, and more—are lain. Joshua Huminski reviews Angus Robertson’s “The Crossroads of Civilization,” noting that Vienna is indeed a crossroads for so much and so many.
T
his summer saw unprecedented travel toward Europe resulting in severe delays, cancellations, lost baggage, and general chaos. This “revenge travel” is partly a consequence of pent-up demand, partly a function of COVID-related layoffs, and, at least for Americans, the Euro being at its weakest in years. I, myself, experienced a touch of this chaos on a recent research trip to London with stops in Dublin and Nottingham. Had I read Angus Robertson’s “The Crossroads of Civilization” (a copy of which was kindly provided by the publisher for review) prior to, and not during, my travel, I would have almost certainly added a stop in Austria’s capital, Vienna.
Robertson, a former journalist in Vienna, former member of UK Parliament, and current secretary in the Scottish Cabinet pens a book-length love letter to the city. His deeply researched book explores not just the political and diplomatic history of the city and its role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond, but also the city’s cultural tapestry and more. The story of Vienna is the story of modern Europe and the foundations on which much of today’s map—geopolitical, historical, cultural, and more—are lain.
While there are innumerable histories of Paris, London, or Berlin, there are comparably few of Vienna, which after reading “The Crossroads of Civilization” is all the more remarkable. Vienna is indeed a crossroads for so much and so many. From its role as a demarcation point between the Roman Empire and the barbarians beyond the wall (and where Emperor Marcus Aurelius died), to the setting for Cold War diplomatic summits, Vienna is the site of such rich history. This is the story that Robertson tells in such a vivid and enthusiastic fashion.
Much in European history turned on events in Vienna. Had the 1529 Siege of Vienna or the 1683 battle of Vienna been won by the Ottoman Empire, the history of Europe and its political landscape would be different today. The Twentieth Century would assuredly been dramatically different, had Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand escaped with his life in Sarajevo. It is equally remarkable to realize just how many figures passed through Vienna on their way to shape history. At one point, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Josip Broz Tito all passed through the city. According to Robertson, Hitler and Stalin even walked through the same parks, though there is nothing to suggest that they ever met or that their paths crossed—but still, it certainly is a fascinating “what-if?” to consider.
These are just some of the fascinating anecdotes woven throughout the book, some even more striking than expected. Readers are unlikely to know the role that the Austro-Hungarian Empire played in Brazil’s independence. Maria Leopoldina, daughter of Emperor Francis II, married Dom Pedro de Alcântara, the Prince Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves in a strategic alliance between the two powers. She later became sympathetic to Brazilian independence—writing to her father-in-law in Lisbon, urging him to ratify the independent constitution and to her own father to form an alliance. The yellow in Brazil’s flag is the color of the Habsburg dynasty.
Robertson’s description of the Congress of Vienna is riveting—both for its content and the author’s clear fascination with and passion for the 1814 gathering of Europe’s great, grand, and merely good. This critical conclave, set to define a new, post-Napoleonic War map of Europe, but it also, under the careful guidance and manipulation of Prince Klemens von Metternich, led to a golden age of diplomacy. Ambassadorial levels of status were defined, protocols established, and the foundations of modern diplomatic engagements with which modern audiences would be familiar were laid down.
One suspects modern diplomats wished they were engaged in the style of diplomacy of the early 19th century—certainly following the victory over Napoleon. Filled with parties, galas, balls, and celebrations, thoroughly lubricated by flowing alcohol and scandal, the Congress of Vienna was as bacchanalian as it was diplomatic. It is a far cry from today’s embassies (at least American) behind high walls, stale engagements with dryly recited talking points, and boring cocktail circuit. Guests were welcomed with a 1,000-gun salute and a parade attended by 100,000 people. The period that followed, subtitled “The Age of Metternich” by the author, serves as an interesting juxtaposition to the grandeur of the Congress of Vienna—the political and diplomatic arrangement that followed that gathering lasted but a generation, before the revolutionary fervor of 1848 undermined the post-Congress stability.
Vienna’s post-First World War history saw a marked right-ward shift in politics, repression, and anti-Semitism (something that had bubbled below the surface). The city saw an exodus of the same figures that made Vienna a cultural and societal center, and later served as fertile ground for National Socialists and the rise of Hitler. Germany’s annexation and the legacy of those years tainted Vienna and Austria in the aftermath of the Second World War.
It was occupied by four powers including the United States and Soviet Union—the latter of which agreed to withdraw from Austria’s territory, marking it the only territory Moscow seized in the war, but returned peacefully before the collapse of communism. Throughout the Cold War it was a hotbed of intrigue and espionage—though not for what secrets the Austrians themselves held, but as a field of battle for spy-versus-spy between the West and the East. Here it is unsurprising that Vienna should continue the role it played historically as the crossroads, both with dead drops and diplomacy.
What is particularly striking about “The Crossroads of Civilization” is Robertson’s attention to the legacy of history on the city of Vienna itself. He charts the city’s growth and expansion, the inner turmoil of its narrow confines before the Emperor decreed the destruction of its walls and the expansion of its boundaries. The splendor of the imperial palaces and royal estates retained today, but merely converted into the government buildings and museums. Readers should be unsurprised if they end the book wanting to travel to Vienna have they not already done so. The cultural tapestry of Vienna is sublime—Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Hadyn, and more composed and performed music in Vienna’s halls. Gustav Klimt, the painter of the romantic piece “the Kiss,” hailed from Vienna.
Robertson’s epilogue is a delight, and there is a sense that it is perhaps, a missed opportunity. He travels the city’s metro, highlighting its history among the stops along the way. It would have made for a fine structure on which to hang the richly written and deeply researched narrative he presents—a way to truly see the city he loves through his eyes. This is truly a minor quibble (and perhaps a thought for a follow-up book)—merely an item that would have made an already enjoyable book even more so.
In the end, the greatest joy of Robertson’s book and others like it is his palpable joy and fascination with his subject. Books written by authors who truly have a passion and feel for a place are delightful to read. You cannot help but be swept up in their enthusiasm, in their infectious joie de vivre—this is the case with Robertson’s book. In what could have been a dry, though exceedingly well-researched, recitation of history, instead Robertson pens a love letter to Vienna, a city he so thoroughly enjoys.
