Ernst Florian Winter (16 December 1923 – 16 April 2014) was an Austrian-American historian and political scientist, the first director of the
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and chairman of the International Council of the
Austrian Service Abroad
The Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit organization founded by Andreas Hörtnagl, Andreas Maislinger and Michael Prochazka in 1998, which sends young Austrians to work in partner institutions worldwide serving Holocaust commemoration in f ...
.
Biography
Childhood
Ernst Florian Winter was born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, Austria, the oldest of eight children of the
sociologist and former third vice mayor of Vienna (1934–36) Ernst Karl Winter. Ernst Florian Winter attended the humanistic grammar school in the Klostergasse in
Währing
Währing () is the 18th district of Vienna and lies in northwestern Vienna on the edge of the Vienna Woods. It was formed in 1892 from the unification of the older suburbs of Währing, Weinhaus, Gersthof, Pötzleinsdorf, Neustift am Walde and Sa ...
, after which he attended Neulandschule. He was a member of the Austrian Catholic Bund Neuland. Alfons Stilfried and the brothers
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
and Fritz Molden were in the same group.
Winter accompanied his father, Ernst Karl, very early in his political career. Regularly there were hour-long discussions at their family residences, attended by people such as Alfred Missong, August Maria Knoll, Hans Karl von Zessnerspitzberg, and
Engelbert Dollfuss
Engelbert Dollfuß (alternatively: ''Dolfuss'', ; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian clerical fascist politician who served as Chancellor of Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and Agriculture, he a ...
. When federal chancellor
Kurt Schuschnigg
Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Dollf ...
returned from meeting with
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
at the
Berghof on 12 February 1938, he visited the Winters' home to speak with Ernst Karl Winter. The 14-year-old Ernst Florian Winter kept the minutes of this discussion.
A few days before the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
in March 1938, Ernst Karl Winter fled Austria to Switzerland, for political reasons, at the urging of
Hans Kelsen
Hans Kelsen (; ; October 11, 1881 – April 19, 1973) was an Austrian jurist, legal philosopher and political philosopher. He was the author of the 1920 Austrian Constitution, which to a very large degree is still valid today. Due to the rise ...
. He had to leave his family behind. When the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
came to the Winters' house and could not find Ernst Karl, they took his son, Ernst Florian, to the police station. Ernst Florian's mother, Margarete, managed to get him released on the same day. A few days later, Margarete, her son Ernst Florian and his six siblings fled from Austria (his youngest sibling was born after the family moved to the United States).
Emigration to America
Via Switzerland, France, and England, the Winters emigrated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in October 1939. They were one of the first non-Jewish emigrant families. Because there were no Austrian clubs in New York, many Austrian immigrants met in the Winters' house almost every Sunday. At the beginning of 1939, Ernst Karl Winter founded the Austrian American Center in New York, which was the first non-party national committee. This committee regularly organised demonstrations and marches and released weekly publications. There were almost no juveniles under the emigrants, nevertheless Ernst Florian Winter was voted as the leader. A few dozen juveniles regularly celebrated parades on
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...
. Together with his father, Ernst Florian met U.S. vice president
Henry Wallace.
Winter did not join the "Österreichische Bataillon" initiated by
Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg (german: Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius, hu, Ferenc József Ottó Róbert Mária Antal Károly Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Lajos Gaetan ...
, because he had his skiing instructor exam. As a member of the "Ski Patrol System" he received a letter from the U.S. minister of war, who planned to set up a mountain division. On his 18th birthday, he joined the U.S. Army, though he wrote on his application form: "volunteer to join for the liberation of my home country Austria, but I am not willing to kill." The main reason of his strict attitude was that he had seen pictures of the
Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...
at his father's publishing house, which weighed heavily on him. In 1943, Winter gained American citizenship, and in 1944 he earned a degree from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
.
Liberation of the homeland
Winter took part in the invasion of Normandy. He was the first Austro-American who marched into the
Innviertel
The Innviertel (literally German for "Inn Quarter"; officially called the ''Innkreis''; ) is a traditional Austrian region southeast of the Inn river. It forms the western part of the state of Upper Austria and borders the German state of Bavari ...
on 4 May 1945 with the 86th division of the 3rd U.S. Army at
Burghausen, where he stayed at the Brauerei Schnaitl.
On orders from Baron
Georg Ludwig von Trapp
Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp (4 April 1880 – 30 May 1947) was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who later became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World W ...
, Winter had a look at a mansion in Aigen that was the summer residence of Reichsführer-SS
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
. There he discovered that the house chapel had a swastika carved on the altar. A few weeks after the liberation, Winter had to leave his homeland again. His division went to Japan, where they had similar duties.
Academic studies and doctrine
After Winter had returned to the U.S., he graduated with a degree in social science from
Columbia College. Studies in political science and international relations at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
followed. He finished his Master of Arts degree in 1951. His topic was "Comparative analyses of the Renner-regime 1918 and 1945". He finished his Ph.D. in 1954; his dissertation topic was "Austrian agriculture between 1918 and 1945."
Winter began his academic career as professor of history and political science at
Iona College
Iona University is a private Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochelle and a campus of in Bronxville, ...
in
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...
. He also served as a visiting professor at the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...
,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
,
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
, and
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
.
In 1960, he returned to Austria to establish the field of study of political science. In 1964, he was chosen by the state secretary
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky (; 22 January 1911 – 29 July 1990) was an Austrian social democratic politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest Ch ...
to be the foundation director of the Diplomatic University of Vienna, where he served as a professor for decades. He also began work as an assistant at the Institute for Higher Studies (IHS) at its founding in 1963. He was the director of the IHS between 1967 and 1968.
He was married to
Johanna von Trapp
The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) were a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the i ...
(1919–1994), the daughter of
Georg Ludwig von Trapp
Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp (4 April 1880 – 30 May 1947) was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who later became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World W ...
and
Agathe Whitehead
Agathe Gobertina von Trapp (née Whitehead; 14 June 1891 – 3 September 1922) was a British-Austrian heiress and aristocrat. She was the first wife of Georg von Trapp, Georg Ritter von Trapp and the mother of seven children of the Trapp Family, ...
. They were married from 1948 to 1994 and had seven children: Ernst Florian (1949–1969), Johanna, Florian, Notburga, Agathe, Hemma, and Severin. From 1964 to 1977 they lived together in Schloss Eichbüchel in
Katzelsdorf
Katzelsdorf is a municipality in the district of Wiener Neustadt-Land in Lower Austria, Austria. It is situated at the foot of the Rosalia Mountains, on the river Leitha, 5 km southeast of Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavari ...
. There they hosted the "Eichbüchler-Gespräche" and Austria seminars for ten years; visiting professors included
Oskar Morgenstern
Oskar Morgenstern (January 24, 1902 – July 26, 1977) was an Austrian-American economist. In collaboration with mathematician John von Neumann, he founded the mathematical field of game theory as applied to the social sciences and strategic decis ...
,
Paul Lazarsfeld
Paul Felix Lazarsfeld (February 13, 1901August 30, 1976) was an Austrian-American sociologist. The founder of Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research, he exerted influence over the techniques and the organization of social resea ...
,
Friedrich Heer
Friedrich Heer (10 April 191618 September 1983) was an Austrian historian born in Vienna.
Early life
Heer received a PhD at the University of Vienna in 1938. Even as a student, he came into conflict with pan-German historians as a staunch oppone ...
, and
Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
.
Diplomatic career
Between 1968 and 1970, Winter was director of social science at
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. At the same time, he was chief negotiator between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China. Winter was member of the UN commission of the United States for the development of China strategies between 1970 and 1972. In January 1970 Henry Kissinger sent him to ask Chinese-Canadian academic and political activist
Paul Lin to relay a confidential message to Zhou Enlai conveying Kissinger’s desire to meet Chinese leaders in view of a visit by President Nixon to China. In January 1972, he was the first American invited by Chinese prime minister Zhou Enlai to a two-month stay at the institute for foreign politics in China. In 1974, as part of UNEP-FAO, Winter was chairman of the first mission of the UN agency in China. In the following year, he led the China Mission of UNEP-WHO.
Personal engagement
Agriculture in Kosovo
Starting in the 1990s, Winter cultivated an organic self-sustaining area in the Defereggental in eastern Tyrol. He participated in an environment program of the United Nations called "Agriculture in Kosovo"; as part of that program, he taught at the University of Business and Technology in
Priština
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...
.
Austrian service abroad
Since 2009 Winter was the chairman of the international council of the
Austrian Service Abroad
The Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit organization founded by Andreas Hörtnagl, Andreas Maislinger and Michael Prochazka in 1998, which sends young Austrians to work in partner institutions worldwide serving Holocaust commemoration in f ...
.
Awards
* On 3 May 2008, Winter was given the
Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Award in Braunau-am-Inn. Austrian expatriates receive this prize for dedication to Austria. Winter shared this award with the
Trapp Family
The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) were a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the i ...
and the actor
Dietmar Schönherr
Dietmar Otto Schönherr (; 17 May 1926 – 18 July 2014) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 120 films between 1944 and 2014. He was famous for playing the role of Major Cliff Allister McLane in the German science fiction series '' Rau ...
.
* Federal president Heinz Fischer awarded Winter on 10 August 2010 the
Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system.
History
The "Austrian D ...
* On 10 October 2010 in Pfaffstätten, Winter (with
Mirie Rushani) was awarded the Weltmenschpreis 2010.
* In 2012, he was given a
Decoration for Services to the Liberation of Austria
The Decoration for Services to the Liberation of Austria (german: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Befreiung Österreichs) was created by federal law on 27 January 1976. It is a special distinction for men and women who actively resisted the Na ...
References
External links
3. US-Armee#Zweiter Weltkrieg, 3. US-Armee (Zweiter Weltkrieg)*
Ernst Karl Winter
*
Institut für Höhere StudienÖsterreichischer Auslandsdienst/nowiki>* Politikwissenschaft#Österreich, Politikwissenschaft (Österreich)]
*
Schloss EichbüchlUmweltprogramm der Vereinten Nationen, Umweltprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (UNEP)Für die Befreiung Österreichsin der
Rundschau-OnlineInternationaler Rat des Österreichischen AuslandsdienstesErnst Florian Winter(in German) from the archive of the
Österreichische Mediathek
The Österreichische Mediathek ("Austrian Mediathek") is the Austrian archive for sound recordings and videos on cultural and contemporary history. It was founded in 1960 as Österreichische Phonothek (Austrian Phonothek) by the Ministry of Educat ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter, Ernst Florian
1923 births
2014 deaths
Diplomats from Vienna
Emigrants from Austria to the United States after the Anschluss
United States Army personnel of World War II
20th-century Austrian historians
Austrian political scientists
American Roman Catholics
Austrian Roman Catholics
Trapp family
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Liberation of Austria
University of Michigan alumni