Austria's Fascist History: A 1936 Perspective

In 1936, Austria was under the leadership of Kurt Schuschnigg, who had taken over as Chancellor after the assassination of Engelbert Dollfuss in 1934. Schuschnigg, who ruled until 1938, was a member of the Fatherland Front, a right-wing conservative, nationalist, corporatist, and authoritarian political organisation. The Fatherland Front was the only legally permitted party in the country and was organised along the lines of Italian Fascism. While it did not advocate a racial ideology, it promoted Austrian nationalism and independence from Germany, positioning itself against Nazism and Marxism. Schuschnigg himself acknowledged that Austrians were Germans but strongly opposed the idea of Austria being absorbed into Nazi Germany, wishing for his country to remain independent. However, by 1936, Schuschnigg's government was facing increasing pressure from Nazi Germany, and he was forced to make concessions, such as releasing imprisoned Nazis and including Nazi confidants in his cabinet. The question of whether Austria was fascist in 1936 is a matter of debate, as while it exhibited authoritarian and fascist-like characteristics, it lacked broad support among Austrians and placed a strong emphasis on Catholicism.

The Fatherland Front

In July 1934, Chancellor Dollfuss was assassinated by the Nazis. He was succeeded as leader of the VF and Chancellor of Austria by Kurt Schuschnigg, who ruled until he was forced to resign by the Nazis on 11 March 1938. Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany the next day.

The role of the Fatherland Front has been a contentious point in post-war Austrian historiography. While many historians consider it to be a variant of fascism, dubbed "Austrofascism", and blame it for the failure of liberal democracy in Austria, conservative authors emphasise its defence of the country's independence and opposition to Nazism.

The Austrofascist state

The path to dictatorship was completed on 1 May 1934, when the Constitution of Austria was recast into an authoritarian and corporatist document. Direct parliamentary elections were abolished, and deputies were nominated by four non-elective, corporatist-styled councils. Engelbert Dollfuss, the architect of the Austrofascist State, ruled until his assassination by Austrian Nazis during a failed coup attempt in July 1934. He was succeeded by Kurt Schuschnigg, who continued the Austrofascist policies of his predecessor.

However, by the mid-1930s, the Austrofascist State faced increasing pressure from Nazi Germany, which sought to annex Austria. Schuschnigg attempted to preserve Austrian independence by allying with Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, but this strategy ultimately failed. In July 1936, Schuschnigg was forced to sign an agreement with Germany, releasing imprisoned Austrian Nazis and including Nazi confidants in his cabinet. Despite these concessions, tensions continued to escalate, and Schuschnigg eventually resigned in March 1938, leading to the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss.

The Dollfuss-Schuschnigg regime

Engelbert Dollfuss, an Austrian politician, served as Chancellor and dictator of Austria between 1932 and 1934. Dollfuss was a member of the conservative Christian-Social Party and came to power during a crisis for the conservative government. He established a one-party dictatorship, the Fatherland Front, in 1933, which was strongly linked to the Catholic Church and opposed Nazism, Marxism, and liberal democracy. Dollfuss suppressed the Socialist movement and banned the Austrian Nazi Party, the Communist Party, and the Social Democratic Party. He established an authoritarian and corporatist regime, the Federal State of Austria, which was officially a one-party authoritarian state.

Dollfuss was assassinated in July 1934 by a group of Austrian Nazis, including Otto Planetta, Franz Holzweber, Ernst Feike, Franz Leeb, Josef Hackl, Ludwig Maitzen, Erich Wohlraab, and Paul Hudl. Kurt Schuschnigg, who was previously the Minister of Education, took over as Chancellor of Austria after Dollfuss's death. Schuschnigg continued many of Dollfuss's authoritarian policies and ruled until he was forced to resign by the Nazis in 1938.

The Austrian Civil War

The conflict began when members of the Republican Protection League fired on Austrian police who were attempting to enter the Social Democrats' party headquarters in Linz to search for weapons. The fighting quickly spread to Vienna and other industrial centres in eastern and central Austria. The superior numbers and firepower of the Austrian police and Federal Army, along with the support of the Austrian armed forces, quickly put an end to the uprising. The overall death toll is estimated at 350, with around 1,000 members of the Schutzbund killed in Vienna alone.

The socialists' defeat led to arrests, executions, and the banning of the Social Democratic Party. In May 1934, Austria's democratic constitution was replaced by an Austrofascist constitution, with the Fatherland Front as the only legal party. This marked the beginning of the Federal State of Austria, a one-party state led by the conservative, nationalist, corporatist, and clerical fascist Fatherland Front.

The Anschluss

The idea of unifying Austria and Germany into a "Greater Germany" had been around since the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. Support for unification grew after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, and the subsequent economic crisis that hit Austria. The new Republic of German-Austria attempted to unite with Germany, but the Treaty of Saint Germain and the Treaty of Versailles, which were signed in 1919, forbade the union and the continued use of the name "German-Austria".

In the 1920s, the idea of the Anschluss was supported by many Austrian citizens, particularly those on the political left and centre. However, support for unification faded over time. After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their ideology.

In 1936, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, who had taken over from Engelbert Dollfuss after his assassination by Austrian Nazis in 1934, signed an agreement with German ambassador Franz von Papen. Schuschnigg agreed to release Nazis imprisoned in Austria, and Germany promised to respect Austrian sovereignty. However, this did not satisfy Hitler, and the pro-German Austrian Nazis continued to grow in strength.

In early 1938, under pressure from pro-unification activists, Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13. Hitler threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On March 12, the day before the planned referendum, the German army crossed the border into Austria unopposed. A plebiscite was held on April 10, with widespread manipulation and coercion employed to ensure a vote in favour of the Anschluss.

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