April 1955, Bandung: Examining Global Decolonization and the Influence on Austrian Foreign Policy

This exhibition explores the historical significance of the 1955 Bandung Conference and the global movement toward decolonization. It examines how the 'Third World' emerged on the world stage and its eventual influence on Austrian foreign policy.

While Austria was focused on the signing of the State Treaty in May 1955, major parts of the world were simultaneously breaking free from the constraints of colonialism. This digital exhibition focuses on the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, held just one month prior to the Austrian State Treaty. It illustrates how the so-called 'Third World' began to articulate its own global political interests. The exhibition further explores how these international developments reached the horizon of Austrian politics. It highlights the diplomatic evolution that followed, including the 1964 establishment of the special department for Afro-Asian cooperation in the Austrian Foreign Ministry, under the direction of then-Foreign Minister Bruno Kreisky. The project provides a window into a pivotal moment of global history and its intersection with Austrian diplomatic heritage.