Election of Waldheim as President of Austria Stirs Controversy
At a glance:
- Series: Chronology of European History
- Categories: Government and Politics, Diplomacy, International Relations, Foreign Affairs
- Subcategories: Politicians, Diplomats, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Elections, Voting, Holocaust
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, Western Civilization/European History
- Geographical Location: Vienna
- Date: June 8, 1986
Article abstract: The election of Kurt Waldheim as president of Austria stirs controversy because his election victory, achieved despite his falsified autobiography, typifies Austria’s eagerness to gloss over its Nazi past.
Summary of Event
On June 8, 1986, Kurt Waldheim, former secretary-general of the United Nations, became president of Austria amid continuing controversy about his wartime activities under the Nazis. Rumors about Waldheim’s past had started circulating in Vienna in September of 1985, after his nomination to the presidency by the...
[The entire page is 1585 words long]
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