Federal State of Austria
Encyclopedia
The Federal State of Austria (colloquial: Ständestaat) refers to Austria
from 1934 to 1938, according to its self-conception a non-party, in fact a single-party state
led by the fascist Fatherland's Front. The propagandistic Ständestaat concept (derived from Stände, "estates
"), advocated by leading politicians like Engelbert Dollfuß
and Kurt Schuschnigg
, comprised an authoritarian
government system which bore a distinct Catholic
stamp.
mayor Karl Lueger
had already developed anti-liberal
views, though primarily from an economic perspective considering the pauperization of the proletariat and the lower middle class. Strongly referring to the doctrine of Catholic social teaching
, the CS agitated against the Austrian labour movement
led by the Social Democrats
, and also spread antisemitic prejudices.
in the First Austrian Republic
of the early 1930s, the CS on the basis of the Quadragesimo Anno
encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI
in 1931 pursued the idea of overcoming the ongoing class struggle
by the implementation of a corporative
form of government modelled on Italian fascism
. The CS politician Engelbert Dollfuß, appointed Chancellor of Austria
in 1932, on 4 March 1933 took the opportunity of the resignation of Social Democrat Karl Renner
as president of the Austrian Nationalrat
, after irregularities occurred during a voting process. Dollfuß called the incident a "self-elimination" (Selbstausschaltung) of the parliament and had the following meeting on March 15 defeated by the forces of the Vienna police department. His party fellow President Wilhelm Miklas
with regard to Hitler
's victory in the German elections of 5 March 1933 did not take any action to restore democracy.
Chancellor Dollfuß then governed by emergency measures, including the ban of the Communist Party
on 26 May 1933, the Social Democratic Republikanischer Schutzbund
paramilitary organization on May 30, and the Austrian branch of the Nazi Party on June 19. Instead on 20 May 1933 he had established the Fatherland's Front as a fascist unity party of "an autonomous, Christian, German, corporative Federal State of Austria". On 12 February 1934 the government's attempts to enforce the ban of the Schutzbund at the Hotel Schiff
in Linz
sparked the Austrian Civil War
. The revolt was suppressed with support by the Bundesheer and right-wing Heimwehr
troops under Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg
, ending with the ban of the Social Democratic Party and the trade unions. The way into dictatorship was completed by a new Austrian constitution
implemented on 1 May 1934.
Dollfuß continued to rule by emergency measures until his assassination during the Nazi July Putsch
on 25 July 1934. He was succeeded by Kurt Schuschnigg. Hitler officially denied any involvement in the coup d'état, nevertheless he continued to destabilize the Austrian government system by secretly supporting Nazi sympathizers like Arthur Seyss-Inquart
and Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
. In turn Austria under Schuschnigg sought the backing by its southern neighbour, the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
. Tables turned after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
in 1935/36, when Mussolini, internationally isolated, approached to Hitler. Though Schuschnigg tried to improve the relations with Nazi Germany
by amnestying several Austrian Nazis and accepting them in the Fatherland's Front, he had no chance to prevail against the "axis
" of Berlin
and Rome
proclaimed by Mussolini on 1 November 1936.
, Hitler in November 1937 declared his plans for an Austrian campaign in a meeting with Wehrmacht
commanders. Under the mediation of the German ambassador Franz von Papen
, Schuschnigg on 12 February 1938 traveled to Hitler's Berghof residence in Berchtesgaden
, only to be confronted with an ultimatum to readmit the Nazi Party and to appoint Seyss-Inquart and Glaise-Horstenau ministers of the Austrian cabinet. Schuschnigg, impressed by the presence of OKW
chief General Wilhelm Keitel
, gave in and on February 16, Seyss-Inquart became head of the strategically important Austrian interior ministry.
After the British ambassador to Berlin, Nevile Henderson
on 3 March 1938 had stated that the German claims to Austria were justified, Schuschnigg started a last attempt to retain Austrian autonomy by scheduling a nationwide referendum on March 13. Hitler reacted with the mobilization of Wehrmacht troops at the Austrian border and demanded the appointment of Seyss-Inquart as Austrian chancellor. On March 11, Austrian Nazis stormed the Federal Chancellery
and forced Schuschnigg to resign. Seyss-Inquart was sworn in as his successor by President Wilhelm Miklas and the next day Wehrmacht troops crossed the border meeting no resistance. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart formally decreed the Anschluss
to Nazi Germany, though President Miklas avoided to sign the law by stepping down immediately. Two days later in his speech at the Vienna Heldenplatz
, Hitler proclaimed the "accession of my homeland to the German Reich".
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
from 1934 to 1938, according to its self-conception a non-party, in fact a single-party state
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
led by the fascist Fatherland's Front. The propagandistic Ständestaat concept (derived from Stände, "estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
"), advocated by leading politicians like Engelbert Dollfuß
Engelbert Dollfuss
Engelbert Dollfuss was an Austrian Christian Social and Patriotic Front statesman. Serving previously as Minister for Forest and Agriculture, he ascended to Federal Chancellor in 1932 in the midst of a crisis for the conservative government...
and Kurt Schuschnigg
Kurt Schuschnigg
Kurt Alois Josef Johann Schuschnigg was Chancellor of the First Austrian Republic, following the assassination of his predecessor, Dr. Engelbert Dollfuss, in July 1934, until Germany’s invasion of Austria, , in March 1938...
, comprised an authoritarian
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
government system which bore a distinct Catholic
Political Catholicism
Political catholicism is a political and cultural conception which promotes the ideas and social teaching of the Catholic Church in public life...
stamp.
History
In the 1890s, the founding members of the conservative-clerical Christian Social Party (CS) like Karl von Vogelsang and the ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
mayor Karl Lueger
Karl Lueger
Karl Lueger was an Austrian politician and mayor of Vienna. The populist and anti-Semitic politics of his Christian Social Party are sometimes viewed as a model for Hitler's Nazism.- Career :...
had already developed anti-liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
views, though primarily from an economic perspective considering the pauperization of the proletariat and the lower middle class. Strongly referring to the doctrine of Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state...
, the CS agitated against the Austrian labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
led by the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
, and also spread antisemitic prejudices.
Self-coup
During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the First Austrian Republic
First Austrian Republic
The Republic of Austria encompasses the period of Austrian history following the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of September 1919, the settlement after the end of World War I which put an end to the Republic of German Austria, continuing up to World War II...
of the early 1930s, the CS on the basis of the Quadragesimo Anno
Quadragesimo Anno
Quadragesimo Anno is an encyclical written by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. Unlike Leo XIII, who addressed the condition of workers, Pius XI discusses the ethical implications of the social and economic order...
encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1931 pursued the idea of overcoming the ongoing class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
by the implementation of a corporative
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
form of government modelled on Italian fascism
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
. The CS politician Engelbert Dollfuß, appointed Chancellor of Austria
Chancellor of Austria
The Federal Chancellor is the head of government in Austria. Its deputy is the Vice-Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria. The Federal Chancellor is considered to be the most powerful political position in Austrian politics.-Appointment:The...
in 1932, on 4 March 1933 took the opportunity of the resignation of Social Democrat Karl Renner
Karl Renner
Karl Renner was an Austrian politician. He was born in Untertannowitz in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and died in Vienna...
as president of the Austrian Nationalrat
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
, after irregularities occurred during a voting process. Dollfuß called the incident a "self-elimination" (Selbstausschaltung) of the parliament and had the following meeting on March 15 defeated by the forces of the Vienna police department. His party fellow President Wilhelm Miklas
Wilhelm Miklas
Wilhelm Miklas was an Austrian politician who served as the third President of Austria, from 1928 until its annexation by Nazi Germany in the Anschluss 1938.-Early life:...
with regard to Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's victory in the German elections of 5 March 1933 did not take any action to restore democracy.
Communist Party of Austria
The Communist Party of Austria is a communist party based in Austria. Established in 1918, it was banned between 1933 and 1945 under both the Austrofascist regime, and German control of Austria during World War II...
on 26 May 1933, the Social Democratic Republikanischer Schutzbund
Republikanischer Schutzbund
The Republikanischer Schutzbund was a paramilitary organization established in 1923 by the Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs to secure power in the face of rising political radicalization after World War I....
paramilitary organization on May 30, and the Austrian branch of the Nazi Party on June 19. Instead on 20 May 1933 he had established the Fatherland's Front as a fascist unity party of "an autonomous, Christian, German, corporative Federal State of Austria". On 12 February 1934 the government's attempts to enforce the ban of the Schutzbund at the Hotel Schiff
Hotel Schiff
The Hotel Schiff is a hotel in Linz. In 1934 it was the starting point of the Austrian Civil War.The Gasthof Zum Goldenen Schiff was built in 1788 on a site which had been used since 1563 by the Brethren of the Poor.-Cinema:...
in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
sparked the Austrian Civil War
Austrian Civil War
The Austrian Civil War , also known as the February Uprising , is a term sometimes used for a few days of skirmishes between socialist and conservative-fascist forces between 12 February and 16 February 1934, in Austria...
. The revolt was suppressed with support by the Bundesheer and right-wing Heimwehr
Heimwehr
The Heimwehr or sometimes Heimatschutz were a Nationalist, initially paramilitary group operating within Austria during the 1920s and 1930s; they were similar in methods, organisation, and ideology to Germany's Freikorps...
troops under Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg
Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg
Ernst Rüdiger Camillo Starhemberg was an Austrian nationalist and conservative politician prior to World War II, a leader of the Heimwehr and later of the Christian Social Party/Fatherland's Front...
, ending with the ban of the Social Democratic Party and the trade unions. The way into dictatorship was completed by a new Austrian constitution
Constitution of Austria
The Constitution of Austria is the body of all constitutional law of the Republic of Austria on the federal level. It is split up over many different acts...
implemented on 1 May 1934.
Dollfuß continued to rule by emergency measures until his assassination during the Nazi July Putsch
July Putsch
The July Putsch was a failed coup d'etat attempt against the Austrofascist regime by Austrian Nazis, which took place between 25 – 30 July 1934.- Background :...
on 25 July 1934. He was succeeded by Kurt Schuschnigg. Hitler officially denied any involvement in the coup d'état, nevertheless he continued to destabilize the Austrian government system by secretly supporting Nazi sympathizers like Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart was a Chancellor of Austria, lawyer and later Nazi official in pre-Anschluss Austria, the Third Reich and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands...
and Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau was an Austrian officer in the Bundesheer, last Vice-Chancellor of Austria before the 1938 Anschluss, and general in the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War.- Life :Born in Braunau am Inn the son of an officer, Glaise-Horstenau attended the Theresian Military...
. In turn Austria under Schuschnigg sought the backing by its southern neighbour, the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
. Tables turned after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
in 1935/36, when Mussolini, internationally isolated, approached to Hitler. Though Schuschnigg tried to improve the relations with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
by amnestying several Austrian Nazis and accepting them in the Fatherland's Front, he had no chance to prevail against the "axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
" of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
proclaimed by Mussolini on 1 November 1936.
Anschluss
According to the Hossbach MemorandumHossbach Memorandum
The Hossbach Memorandum was the summary of a meeting on November 5, 1937 between German dictator Adolf Hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership where Hitler's future expansionist policies were outlined. The meeting marked a turning point in Hitler's foreign policies, which then began...
, Hitler in November 1937 declared his plans for an Austrian campaign in a meeting with Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
commanders. Under the mediation of the German ambassador Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
, Schuschnigg on 12 February 1938 traveled to Hitler's Berghof residence in Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, only to be confronted with an ultimatum to readmit the Nazi Party and to appoint Seyss-Inquart and Glaise-Horstenau ministers of the Austrian cabinet. Schuschnigg, impressed by the presence of OKW
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
chief General Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
, gave in and on February 16, Seyss-Inquart became head of the strategically important Austrian interior ministry.
After the British ambassador to Berlin, Nevile Henderson
Nevile Henderson
Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson, KCMG , was the third child of Robert and Emma Henderson and was born at Sedgwick Park near Horsham, West Sussex. Ambassador of Great Britain to Germany from 1937 to 1939, he believed that Adolf Hitler could be controlled and pushed toward peace and cooperation with...
on 3 March 1938 had stated that the German claims to Austria were justified, Schuschnigg started a last attempt to retain Austrian autonomy by scheduling a nationwide referendum on March 13. Hitler reacted with the mobilization of Wehrmacht troops at the Austrian border and demanded the appointment of Seyss-Inquart as Austrian chancellor. On March 11, Austrian Nazis stormed the Federal Chancellery
Federal Chancellery of Austria
In the Austrian Federal Government, the Federal Chancellery is an agency serving the executive office of the Chancellor of Austria. Its primary function is to align the government's politics and information activities, it also represents the executive on federal level in matters concerning the...
and forced Schuschnigg to resign. Seyss-Inquart was sworn in as his successor by President Wilhelm Miklas and the next day Wehrmacht troops crossed the border meeting no resistance. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart formally decreed the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
to Nazi Germany, though President Miklas avoided to sign the law by stepping down immediately. Two days later in his speech at the Vienna Heldenplatz
Heldenplatz
The Heldenplatz is a historical plaza in Vienna. Many important actions took place here, most notably Adolf Hitler's announcement of the Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich in 1938.-The Plaza:...
, Hitler proclaimed the "accession of my homeland to the German Reich".