From monarchy to republic: the dramatic period of upheaval around 1918/19 reflected in historic photographs. At the end of 1918, the Habsburg Empire fell, the Emperor had to go, the soldiers and prisoners of war came home. Hunger and hardship were the order of the day.

But there were also promising new beginnings: after years of wartime dictatorship and censorship, people took to the streets to campaign for their rights and interests. On November 12, 1918, the Republic of German-Austria was declared. At the first parliamentary elections after the war, in 1919, women were permitted to vote for the first time.

The exhibition shows the extent to which photography accompanied, as well as shaped, the great political and social changes of 1918/19. In striking images and eyewitness accounts, it tells the story of the battle for the young democracy.