Austria

12/2/2010 7:15:00 AM

A lot of the Austrian lands go to Czechoslovakia, they were quite reliant on Czech resources such as ore and oil. British performed an economic blockade during the war, made life in Vienna and Austria pretty desperate. The Austrians preferred to live in the Habsburg monarchy But they had never existed as a centralized state before 1919 when the empire was deconstructed. Social democrats do have a german/Austrian identity Linked in with a wider idea of the working class being in a larger economic framework The germans were unionized and well organized but they were undercut by Czech migration into the area after the fall of the habsburg empire. Marxists are very much the party of Vienna Also tinged with anti-semitism Following the fall of habsburg they Austrians did not want to create a government structure that was similar to habsburg monarchies Meant that they had a very week president instead o The constitution was geared towards the power in the hands of parliament Saint Germain treaty actually dealt with Austria Christian socialists were not actually that nationals. Zeipal led this party during the period Catholic heirachy tended to be very anti national, It was a universal church etc The Heimwehr were a nationalist paramilitary group formed by ex soldiers Kind of a home guard They guarded against the armies of different political groups entering the country to achieve political goals Mussolini sees Austria as a barrier between Italy and Germany. Mussolini is very interested in Austrias development, he attmepts to make the Heimwehr into a fascist group Heimwehr becomes the militia for the chrisitan socialist party There was quite an urban/rural divide between support for the Christian socialist party and the Social Democrats. Urban population supports the Christian socialists In 1927 rightists are tried for the murder of Social Democrats but found not guilty This sparks riots

Can be argued that the system in Austria is a party democracy rather than a full representation of the people and their views. Dangerous to assume that people are committed to democracy The more moderate wing of the Social Democrat was led by Carl Renner The Dolfuss regime was strongly clerical with a genuine commitement to a nationalist state Aimed to have a chancellor rather than the weak president of former governments. Austro fascism was between the extremes of heavily fascist states and democratic Conservative and authoratarain but not a grass roots movement In 1931 the main bank in Austria collapses, the global depression affects Austria and Germany very badly. An attempt by Austria is made to create a secret economic union with Germany The western powers banned this union After 1935 mussolini is less interested in propping up Austria after invading Abyssinia and Ethiopia. An economic embargo is placed on Italy by the Western powers o This brings Mussolini round to what Hitler had been planning with a German Italian alliance. o Strengthens Germany militarily Hitler creates an agreement with Austria The Anschluss is genereally well received Is an end to the potential violence in the poltical parties o Also an end to this split of ethnic identity, many felt they were Germany and Austrian o Is Austria the first victim or the first collaborator?