Why does Austria speak German?

Because they sort of are Germans. In the old sense of the word. Austria used to be the core power of the German states. Remember that the modern country of Germany has only existed since 1871. read more

Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation until its ending in 1806 and had been part of the German Confederation, a loose association of 39 separate German-speaking countries, until the Austro-Prussian war in 1866, which resulted in the exclusion of Austria from the German Confederation and the creation of the North German Confederation led by Prussia. read more

Because German ethnicity encompasses the population of Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, plus most of Switzerland, and a couple towns in France, Italy, and Belgium. read more