Editing Scottish Rite (section)

=== Austria ===
====Growth and challenge in the 19th century====

In the aftermath of the ratification of Scottish Rite bodies, the Rite experienced steady growth in Austria during the late 1700s and early 1800s. However, [[Anti-Masonry|anti-Masonic]] sentiments arose in the mid-19th century, as occurred in other [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe|European countries]], constraining Masonic activity. The [[Catholic Church]] exerted political pressure on Masonic organizations, associating the Scottish Rite with anti-religious conspiracy theories.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hoyos |first=M. |year=2015 |title=Fear and Suspicion: Catholic Condemnation of Freemasonry in 19th Century Vienna |journal=Modern Austrian Studies |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=209–230}}
</ref> In 1894, these pressures resulted in the Emperor Franz Joseph officially suspending all Masonic lodges in Austria, forcing the Scottish Rite underground until 1918.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heindl |first1=L. |last2=Hoffmann |first2=S. |year=2010 |title=The Scottish Rite in Austria |journal=Transactions of Quator Coronati Lodge |volume=23 |pages=11–25}}
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====Resilience and reemergence in the 20th century====

After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Scottish Rite swiftly reestablished itself under the new Republic of German-Austria. Bick (2016) explains how the Scottish Rite provided a philosophical beacon during volatile social circumstances in the interwar period in Vienna and Austria in the early 20th century. Moreover, the Scottish Rite upheld ideals of religious unity, morality, and service as Austria rebuilt.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lorenz |first=E.A. |year=2004 |title=Modernity, Nationalism and the Austrian Scottish Rite |journal=Austrian History Yearbook |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=239–269}}
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While [[antisemitism]] and [[nationalism]] eventually permeated Austria in World War II, the Scottish Rite lodges centered humanism. After the war, the Supreme Council based in Vienna continued operating, despite [[Communism|Communist]] pressures in Eastern bloc countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Denslow |first=H. |year=1958 |title=History of Scottish Rite Masonry in Post-War Austria |journal=Ars Quator Coronatorum |volume=48 |pages=23–32}}
</ref> From the post-war period until present day, the Scottish Rite persevered as a bastion of moral enlightenment in Austria even given wider sociocultural trends.

====The Austrian Scottish Rite in the 21st century====

Presently, the Scottish Rite tradition remains intact in [[Austria]] with approximately 3,000 Freemasons participating in lodges across the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lescak |first=M. |year=2008 |title=Contemporary Scottish Rite Freemasonry in Austria: A Modern Incarnation of Old Traditions |journal=Bruckner University Yearbook |pages=10–19}}
</ref> The Supreme Council serves as an international representation of the Scottish Rite by upholding universal values articulated across 33 degrees of initiation. Through moral education and philanthropy, Austrian Scottish Rite bodies perpetuate esoteric knowledge to endorse peace, community improvement, and individual actualization.

==== Current situation ====
Austria contends with persistent fragmentation within its Freemasonry landscape, hindering a revival of a [[tradition]] that once flourished. In [[Scandinavia]], a distinct Masonic tradition prevails, setting it apart from the broader Scottish Rite family.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morris |first1=B. |last2=Radice |first2=M. |year=2009 |title=Scottish Rite Masonry: A Reputation Reconstituted |journal=Journal of Masonic Societies and Education |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=177–201}}
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