The Annales-School and Austria in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

This article deals with the hitherto almost unknown intellectual and personal links between the founders of the Annales, Lucien Febvre and Marc Bloch, and Austrian historiography. Especially Bloch and his students commented widely on most of the work published by Alphons Dopsch and his students. Although critical of several of Dopsch's main positions, Bloch had cordial personal relations with the Viennese historian, and even contributed to his 1938 Festschrift, until the Anschluß made him withdraw his contribution. Furthermore, two Austrian emigrants, Lucie Varga and Franz Borkenau, played a decisive role inside the Annales circle itself by drawing the attention of Febvre and Bloch to Austrian and German topics and publishing several important articles. Being well prepared by his personal assistant Lucie Varga, Febvre made a journey to Vienna in 1935 where he gave two papers. He also met Dopsch who at the time had some political difficulties and invited him to write an article for the Annales. Back in Paris, Febvre continued to follow Austrian affairs with great interest and even published some small pieces on Austrian subjects.