The state treaty of 1955 and the establishment of economic relations between the USSR and Austria

The studies of the history of Russian-Austrian relations for a long time have been marked by the prevalence of the political component, whereas the economic component remained in the shadows. This approach has traditionally prevailed among Cold War studies. As a result, the holistic picture of economic interaction between the two states since 1955 has not yet been reconstructed, and the development of commercial trade has not been covered at all. However, the research into Soviet-Austrian economic relations can enrich the field of Cold War studies both in content and methodology. This article reveals in basic terms the economic interaction of the Soviet Union with Austria, one of the capitalist countries of Europe, in the context of the development of political relations, taking into account Austria’s neutral status. For the first time in Russian historiography, comprehensive research is done to highlight the issues of the economic demands of the USSR during the conclusion of the 1955 State Treaty, the coordination of compensatory supplies and the launching of commercial trade between the two countries. For the first time, to analyze the above issues previously unknown documents of the Russian State Archives of Economics are involved and published sources in German are introduced into Russian research circulation. The author comes to the conclusion that the compromise solution of the Austrian issue and the continued maintenance of good political relations between the USSR and independent, neutral Austria opened the way for the progressive development of trade and economic ties between the two countries in their interests.