Andrew Behrendt| American Tourism and Change in Interwar Austria

After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a newly independent Austria sought fresh business ventures to aid the reconstruction process and its battered economy. In this episode, guest Andrew Behrendt of the Missouri University of Science and Technology joins host Luke Morgante to discuss the emergence of tourism as a salve to Austria’s financial woes, and why American tourists were so highly coveted despite their low numbers. Follow along to hear about the ways Austrian tourism promoters propagandized to Americans overseas, how the arrival of tourists affected local culture, and the changing modes in which Austrians and Americans perceived each other during the 1920s and 1930s.