Leslie Massey
In 1907, Austria was in the midst of political change. Legislative elections were held in May, the first to be conducted under universal male suffrage. The elections were influenced by the Russian Revolution of 1905 and large-scale demonstrations by the Social Democrats, and saw the emergence of a Jewish bloc vote and cooperation between Jewish and Ukrainian political elements. The right-wing Christian Social Party won the most seats, with the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria coming in second.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of 1907 Austrian Parliamentary Election | 14 and 23 May 1907 |
| Location | Cisleithania, the northern and western ("Austrian") crown lands of Austria-Hungary |
| Purpose | To elect the members of the 11th Imperial Council |
| Type of Suffrage | Universal male suffrage |
| Number of Seats | 516 |
| Number of Seats Won by Right-wing Christian Social Party | 95 |
| Number of Seats Won by Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria | 50 |
| Voter Turnout | 84.6% |
| Jewish Legislators in Austrian Parliament (1873-1906) | 4 to 6 |
| Jewish Legislators in Austrian Parliament (1907) | 3, along with one Independent and two Social Democrats |
| Jewish Legislators' Party Affiliation (1873-1906) | Most were members of the Polish Club |
| Jewish Legislators' Party Affiliation (1907) | Four different Jewish parties, with three elected in the new Jewish Club |
| Ukrainian and Jewish Legislators' Cooperation | Yes, evidenced by Yulian Romanchuk's speech on 1 December 1905 and joint meeting in early 1906 |
| Voting Disparities | Ukrainian votes were worth significantly less than Polish votes; protests against election fixing were made in 1892 |
| Voting Requirements | Voters needed to be endorsed and provide evidence of legal age and residence |
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What You'll Learn
The 1907 Austrian Parliamentary Election
The 1907 election was influenced by the Russian Revolution of 1905 and large-scale demonstrations organised by the Social Democrats. The Social Democratic Party, united by Victor Adler in 1889, was one of the three dominant movements in Austrian politics at the time, alongside Pan-Germanism and Christian Socialism. The Social Democratic Party's strongholds were in the cities of Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Brno, and Linz.
The election also witnessed the emergence of a Jewish bloc vote, with candidates representing four different Jewish parties. Three Jewish candidates were elected to Parliament in the new Jewish Club, along with representatives from other parties. This marked a significant change in the social and political evolution of Jews in the region.
The right-wing Christian Social Party, led by the popular Christian Social mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger, emerged as the largest bloc in Parliament with 95 of the 516 seats. The party won most of the rural constituencies and achieved a majority in Vienna. The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria became the second-largest bloc with 50 seats.
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Universal male suffrage
In 1907, legislative elections were held in Cisleithania, the northern and western ("Austrian") crown lands of Austria-Hungary. These were the first elections held under universal male suffrage, after an electoral reform that abolished tax-paying requirements for voters. The reform was adopted by the Council and endorsed by Emperor Franz Joseph. However, Austrian voting power was still significantly disproportional in terms of wealth and urban-rural differences.
The introduction of universal male suffrage was a significant step towards democratization in the Habsburg Monarchy. Previously, participation in political life had been linked to tax contributions and education, making it a matter for the economic and social elites. With the new reform, all male citizens over the age of 23 or 24 could vote, regardless of their social or economic status. This change marked the transition from elite to mass participation in the political process.
The fight for universal male suffrage in Austria was influenced by the social and political evolution of Jews and Ukrainians in the region. In 1905, Yulian Romanchuk, a Ukrainian journalist and politician, raised the topic of national recognition for Austrian Jews in a speech to Parliament. This was followed by joint efforts between Jewish and Ukrainian legislators in Vienna, including a cooperative meeting of 5,000 people in early 1906. The 1907 elections saw the emergence of a Jewish bloc vote and cooperation between Jewish and Ukrainian political elements for mutual benefit.
The 1907 elections resulted in the right-wing Christian Social Party becoming the largest bloc in Parliament, holding 95 of the 516 seats. The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria followed with 50 seats. Universal suffrage also led to the decline of chauvinistic parties, with the Young Czechs and Pan-Germans losing influence. The Germans, despite being the strongest national group, became a minority in Parliament.
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Jewish bloc vote
In 1907, legislative elections were held in Cisleithania, the northern and western ("Austrian") crown lands of Austria-Hungary, on 14 and 23 May. These were the first elections held under universal male suffrage, after an electoral reform abolishing tax-paying requirements for voters. The elections also saw the beginnings of a Jewish bloc vote, with candidates representing four different Jewish parties, and three Jewish candidates elected to Parliament in the new Jewish Club.
The Jewish bloc vote was a significant development in the social and political evolution of Jews in the region, particularly in Galicia, where the majority populations were Poles and Ukrainians. Despite their roughly equal numbers, the Austrian government favoured the landowning Poles, who held disproportionate economic and political power. This dynamic influenced the voting power in the region, as it took almost seven times as many Ukrainian votes as Polish votes to elect a deputy to parliament.
In the lead-up to the 1907 elections, there was cooperation between Jewish and Ukrainian political elements, with joint meetings on the subject of voting reform. This cooperation continued during the elections, with Ukrainian support for Jewish candidates. However, there were also challenges for Jewish voters, with some unable to vote due to registration being held on a Saturday, conflicting with the Sabbath.
The Jewish bloc vote in the 1907 elections represented a shift towards Jewish political representation, with Jewish legislators now representing Jewish parties, rather than the Polish Club, as had been the case between 1873 and 1906. This evolution in Jewish political participation reflected a broader change in the social and political landscape for Jews in the region.
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Christian Social Party
The Christian Social Party (German: Christlichsoziale Partei, CS or CSP) was a major conservative political party in Austria from 1891 to 1934. The party was founded by Vienna politician Karl Lueger in 1893, based on ideas developed by the Christian Social movement under Karl von Vogelsang. The party was oriented towards the petit bourgeoisie and clerical-Catholic, with many priests in its ranks, including the later Austrian chancellor Ignaz Seipel, which attracted many votes from the tradition-bound rural population.
The Christian Social Party was the first political party to attain power on the issue of anti-Semitism, winning 66% of the seats on the Vienna City Council in 1895. The party's propaganda was conducted in a scurrilous anti-Jewish style, identifying big business and chain stores with Jews. The lower ranks of the clergy supplied the ideological backbone of the party.
In the 1907 Reichsrat elections, the Christian Social Party gained plurality, becoming the largest parliamentary group in the Lower House. This was due to the implementation of universal male suffrage under minister-president Max Wladimir von Beck. However, in the 1911 elections, the party lost its position as the largest group in the Lower House.
In the years following World War I, the Christian Social Party retained strong anti-Semitic elements in its propaganda. For example, in 1918, the party talked about the "Jewish peril" and was prepared to grant the Jews national self-determination. In 1920, the theme of the "Jewish snake strangling the Austrian eagle" was depicted on election posters. Despite attempts by the party leadership to tone down the virulence of its anti-Semitism, rank-and-file members and certain leading elements continued to stress this aspect, partly out of resentment towards Austria's treatment by Western powers.
The Christian Social Party backed the Austrian government during World War I. After the dissolution of the Monarchy in October 1918, the party's deputies voted for the creation of the Republic of German-Austria and its accession to Weimar Germany. However, shortly after, members of the party began to oppose German annexation. In the 1919 Austrian Constitutional Assembly election, the Christian Social Party gained 35.9% of the votes cast, making it the second strongest party after the Social Democrats.
In the 1920 election, the Christian Social Party gained 41.8% of the votes, surpassing the Social Democrats. The party then formed a right-wing coalition with the Greater German People's Party (GDVP). All Chancellors of the First Austrian Republic from 1920 onwards were members of the Christian Social Party.
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Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAPO), founded in 1889, was a centre-left, Marxist political party that campaigned for workers' rights, including their right to vote. In 1907, after a general strike, the SDAPO achieved universal suffrage, and in the elections that year, the party won 87 out of 516 seats in the House of Deputies, becoming the second-strongest fraction in parliament. This was a significant increase from the four to six Jewish legislators who held seats in the Austrian Parliament between 1873 and 1906, none of whom represented a Jewish party.
In the lead-up to the 1907 elections, there was cooperation between Jewish and Ukrainian political elements, and in 1907, there were candidates representing four different Jewish parties, with three Jewish candidates elected to parliament in the new Jewish Club. The SDAPO dominated the First Austrian Republic until the rise of Engelbert Dollfuss' Fatherland Front. The party formed the Schutzbund to fight against fascism, but they were defeated in the 1934 Austrian Civil War by the fascist VF.
Following their defeat, the SDAPO supported the Anschluss with Nazi Germany, believing that a united Germany under Adolf Hitler would be preferable to Dollfuss' fascist state. However, the reality of Nazi occupation eventually set in, and during World War II, the new Social Democratic Party of Austria was founded upon the liberation of Vienna by the Red Army in April 1945. The reconstituted party was known as the Socialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) and was led by Adolf Schärf.
The SPÖ entered the government of the Second Republic as part of a grand coalition with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and was the sole governing party from 1971 to 1983. The SDAPO was the most established of the European social democratic parties, and it played an important role in the establishment of the First Republic. The party was banned in 1934 following the Austrian Civil War and was suppressed during the Nazi period.
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Frequently asked questions
The political climate in Austria in 1907 was conservative, with the right-wing Christian Social Party emerging as the largest bloc in Parliament, holding 95 of the 516 seats.
In 1907, Austria was still feeling the effects of the conservative government, with extremist groups like German nationalists challenging moderate liberals, especially in Vienna.
While there is little information on the economic climate of Austria in 1907, the country was in the midst of an enduring recession as of 2025.
In 1907, Galicia, a region in Austria, was populated by Poles and Ukrainians in roughly equal numbers. However, the Poles dominated politically and economically, with Polish politicians exercising power in the Austrian Parliament.
Legislative elections were held in Cisleithania, the northern and western crown lands of Austria-Hungary, on May 14 and 23, 1907, to elect the members of the 11th Imperial Council. These were the first elections held under universal male suffrage, a significant step towards democratic reform.
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