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Can you elaborate on how Austrian politics are weird/tend to differ from Germany’s, in your view? I lived in Germany for a bit and have visited Austria, but am

• User23 5y ago
  Even within the Federal Repubic the difference between the States is huge. Bavaria is a very different place from North Rhine-Westphalia. One could argue that the Bavarians have more in common with the Austrians culturally.
  • detaro 5y ago
    And the states hold quite some authority in health matters, so this does directly impacts how they react, and coordinating things among them has cost a lot of effort and time.
    • User23 5y ago
      It wasn’t so long ago that they were more or less independent kingdoms, palatinates, principalities, free cities, and several more that don’t spring to mind. Europe is a treasure trove of cultural diversity and Germany especially so since it took so long to unite. Italy is another good example of the phenomenon.
• Barrin92 5y ago
  in particular since the 70s and the 80s and the rise of the Freedom Party centering around the fairly eccentric Jörg Haider Austria developed a very particular nationalism (partially pan-German) that is ironically more or less absent in post-war Germany. Austria much earlier than a few other European countries had a much more populist streak whereas Germany even now is fairly consensus oriented and stable. It's a sort of mix of libertarianism, nationalism, conservatism and questions of national identity that seem very at the front of Austrian politics in a way that you barely have in Germany.