How did Allied governments decide to restore Austrian independence during World War II?

During World War II, the Allied governments reconsidered their initial acceptance of the Anschluss and moved toward a policy of restoring Austrian independence.

In December 1941, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin informed the British that the restoration of an independent Austrian republic was essential to the postwar order in central Europe. This commitment was formalized in October 1943 during a meeting in Moscow, where the foreign ministers of Great Britain, the U.S.S.R., and the United States issued a declaration stating that the Anschluss was null and void. The Allies pledged to restore Austrian independence, while simultaneously reminding the Austrian people that they were expected to actively contribute to ridding themselves of the German yoke.12

While Winston Churchill proposed a central European federation, the European Advisory Commission in London ultimately operated under the assumption that Austria would regain its sovereignty within its 1937 borders. Following the liberation of Vienna in April 1945, these Allied decisions provided the framework for the organization of a provisional government.12