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The Unloved Democracy of the Inter-War Period |
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Page 3 of 11
The Break with Democracy
Given this scenario, it was hardly surprising that-as in other European countries-corporatist social systems and authoritarian forms of government were discussed and became implanted in the minds of the people as a remedy. A minor impasse in parliamentary procedure, which in less critical times would have passed by unnoticed, provided Dollfuss with the pretext for dissolving Parliament. For this purpose, the government resorted to an Act passed during the First World War, which during the 1920s had been applied several times, albeit in conformity with the law. With the help of this Kriegswirtschaftliches Ermächtigungsgesetz (War Economy Empowering Act), the government issued numerous ordinances and Parliament was accused of having "dissolved itself." The actual breach of the Constitution, however, only came with the liquidation of the Constitutional Court.
In his foreign policy, Dollfuss relied on the help of Italy and the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who was striving to oust the Social Democrats from the political scene. He therefore resorted to the policy of steadily dismantling his political opponent, while at the same time the Heimwehr, which was supported by Italy, gained increasing power. Dollfuss now felt squeezed on all sides. In a speech to the Catholic Assembly in 1933, he abolished all existing political parties in order to unite the conservative forces in the "Fatherland Front" (Vaterländische Front) and set about installing a corporatist system in keeping with the papal social encyclicals.
Finding themselves cornered and with very little political scope, the Social Democrats now reacted to an incident in Linz with the use of arms. The ensuing conflict was crushed by the police with extreme brutality and excessive use of arms after three days. Since martial law had been proclaimed, despite international protests nine death sentences were passed and the number of casualties on both sides was enormous. Several Social Democrat leaders and hundreds of their followers fled to Czechoslovakia, where they formed a new organization. The rift caused by this civil war divided the political camps for decades. Through its unnecessarily brutal treatment of a clearly weaker opponent, the Austrian government suffered an enormous loss of prestige abroad.
Just a few months later, the Cabinet decreed the establishment of a new authoritarian constitution. By concluding the "Roman Protocols" with Hungary and Italy, Dollfuss endeavoured to gain support against the growing threat of National Socialism. However, neither the rigorous measures taken against this party nor the secret negotiations conducted could halt their aggression. On 25 July 1934 the Nazis attempted a coup d'état, in the course of which Engelbert Dollfuss was murdered. Nevertheless, this attempt, which triggered off several days of fighting, particularly in Carinthia, miscarried. The leaders of the putsch, most of whom were former members of the army, were tried before a military court and thirteen death sentences were passed.
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