Austrian Political Discourse Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Austrian Political Discourse - Case Study Example Since it was torn down in Austria there was adjustment that had to be made. It is important to know that politicians and the media were ecstatic about the changes yet they were not totally prepared for the changes, both good and bad, that would manifest in the future. Armed with wire-cutters, Austria's Foreign Minister Alois Mock was shown doing his part--literally as well as symbolically--to open the border between Austria and Hungary. 1 The end of 1989 witnessed the success of the Rumanian "revolution," and the fall of eastern European Stalinist regimes (or the death of Marxism, according to taste) was everywhere exuberantly acclaimed. As the first waves of refugees and immigrants seeking asylum and work made their way westward, however, this enthusiasm soon dampened.2 By the end of 1989 many changes had occurred. Included was the fall of eastern European Stalinist regimes. Other significant events that resulted from the fall of the wall were the success of the Rumanian "revolution," and the demise of Marxism, according to taste. 3 Many things of significance politically ensued he fall of the wall Power became an issue when these paramount events took placer. Racism also became a significant factor. Shortly after the fall of the wall in 1989 refugees and immigrants seeking both work and asylum began making their... The influx of immigrants set the basis for fight for power in the new found freedom. As well the large amounts of immigrants seeking new found freedom in the west set the stage for problem with racism and one of the new arenas for this was Austria. They became known as" political" and "economic" refugees. They elided rather quickly to these new parts. .Without a doubt, the patronizing acceptance in Austria of political refugees from Communist eastern Europe seems to have disguised more profound ethnic conflict towards these groups of immigrants. . The uncertainties of this new political configuration in Europe occasioned the emergence in Austrian public life of xenophobic discourses, fed by and couched in the terms of social anxiety. Those who even a few months previously would have been largely welcomed as heroic refugees from tyrannical regimes, suddenly became socially more threatening "economic immigrants," "spirit and salami merchants," "criminals," etc., too lazy and selfish to remain in their countries and solve their own problems. 3 3 van Dijk, Teun. 1985. Prejudice in Discourse. Amsterdam: Benjamins. An indication of the political implications of this transformation was given in the campaign preceding the 1990 elections to the Austrian National Assembly. Confronted by the obvious success which the Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei sterreichs, or FP), seconded in its effort by the Neue Kronen Zeitung, the largest selling newspaper in Austria, was registering with its more or less explicit appeals to these ethnic hostilities, politicians from the mainstream Social Democratic Party (SP) and the Christian democratic Austrian People's Party (VP) quickly accommodated their own electoral strategies and general political