Austria - Republic: Great War Commemorative Medal 1914-1918, on original trifold ribbon
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
It was not until 1932 that Austria awarded a medal to her participants in the Great War. The delay may be ascribed to the great loss of territory and population that Austria suffered as a result of the Treaty of Saint-Germain, a small republic emerging from a great empire. The year 1932 saw the suppression of a Socialist uprising in Vienna and the emergence of an authoritarian right-wing government. The timing of the issue of the medal, and the design of the face, may be seen as significant in this context. The Medal was designed by Edwin Grienauer (1893-1964), a prolific and important Viennese designer of coins and medals
