1935 Fresco in a Catholic Church: Examining Austria's Colonial Ambitions and Cultural Imperialism

This entry explores the concept of cultural imperialism during the Dollfuss-Schuschnigg dictatorship in Austria. It highlights how the regime used political self-representation, invoking the Habsburg dynasty and the Catholic Church, to assert Austria's superiority and role in Europe, particularly in contrast to Nazi Germany. The text details the regime's support for Catholic missionary projects and neocolonial ventures abroad, using art as a tool to disseminate these ideas.

The entry delves into the 'cultural imperialism' promoted by the Dollfuss-Schuschnigg dictatorship in Austria, which positioned itself as a successor to the Habsburg dynasty and a staunch ally of the Catholic Church. This ideology aimed to instill self-confidence in the residual Austrian state and emphasize its distinctiveness from Nazi Germany. A key component of this state ideology was a sense of mission, coupled with notions of superiority, strength, and conquest. Austria, as a Christian and German state, was portrayed as superior to Nazi Germany and destined for a leading role in Europe, tasked with protecting the Christian sphere from communism and liberalism. The regime actively supported the expansion of the Catholic Church's influence within Austria and abroad, including Catholic missionary projects by Austrian orders in Manchuria starting in 1933. Furthermore, the government harbored neocolonial ambitions, financially supporting settlement projects like the 'Austrian Overseas Settlement Society' in Brazil, which resulted in the founding of the settlement 'Dollfuß'. Art was instrumental in propagating this cultural imperialist vision. A notable example is the dome fresco created by Johann B. Oberkofler in the church of St. Jakob in Defereggental in 1935. This artwork interpreted Engelbert Dollfuß, assassinated in 1934, as the legitimate successor to Emperor Karl I, with Austria and Tyrol positioned as the core of a Christian world empire.