Steinbach, Emil

Emil Steinbach is the eldest of three children of the jeweler Wilhelm Steinbach and his wife Emilia. My father came from Arad , after marriage he moved from Judaism to Catholicism . The family lived modestly, already being a student at a real school, Emil was forced to earn extra money by giving private lessons. In 1862 he graduated from an external gymnasium and at the age of 17 received a certificate of maturity with honors.

He studied law at the University of Vienna, made a great impression on other students and teachers with an excellent, almost photographic memory. In 1868 he received the degree of candidate of legal sciences. Until 1874 he practiced as a lawyer; then became an assistant professor (and later - a professor) of law and economics at the Vienna Academy of Trade. Emil did not marry and after the death of his parents lived in the family of his brother Robert. Among Steinbach's friends were the director of the Burgtheater Max Eugen Burkhard , the writer Eduard Pötzl , the famous journalist Jacob Herzog, and the literature historian German von Löner .

In 1874 he was invited to work in the Ministry of Justice of Cisleytania (the leadership of the department evaluated his articles on legal topics). In 1880 he was appointed adviser to the section of the ministry, in 1882 - adviser to the minister, in 1890 - chief of section. Until 1885 he continued teaching. He was considered a leading specialist in civil law , represented the ministry in relations with the Reichsrat . He participated in the development of legislation on insurance for workers in case of illness and from accidents, labor protection, inspection of private legal entities, the establishment of a postal savings bank, and the nationalization of railways. Steinbach was highly appreciated not only by the Minister of Justice Alois von Prazak , but also by the head of government, Eduard Taaffe , who attracted him as a special consultant. He prepared laws on the protection of small business, the prohibition of child labor and night labor for women, and the creation of a trade inspectorate based on the British model. In 1890, he successfully opposed the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture, Julius von Falkenhayn, to tighten criminal law in response to the growth of the strike movement.

From February 2, 1891 to November 11, 1893, Emil Steinbach was Minister of Finance in the Taaffe government. Actively participated in the development of legislation on the expansion of electoral rights. In 1892, together with the Minister of Finance of Transitania, Sandor Weckerle, he carried out currency reform, the transition from guilder to the Austro-Hungarian krone based on the gold standard. Prepared a tax reform, implying the introduction of a progressive income tax .

He resigned along with the entire government after the Reichsrat rejected the project to introduce universal suffrage for men from 24 years old.

After leaving the government, Steinbach was appointed President of the Senate in the Supreme Court ( Senatspräsident am Obersten Gerichtshof ) - to a post that was created specifically for him. In 1899 he became the second, and in 1904 - the first president of the Supreme Court. At the same time he was president of the Law Society. Emperor Franz Joseph , who greatly appreciated Steinbach, bestowed on him a noble title, awarded several orders, and in 1899 appointed Reichsrat a member of the House of Lords ( Heerenhaus ).

An unhealthy lifestyle and constant lack of sleep undermined Steinbach's health. He survived an apoplexy stroke and was sent to a sanatorium in Purkersdorf , where he died on May 26, 1907 from pulmonary edema due to hemiplegia .

Growing up in a poor family, Emil Steinbach was a radical democrat and a principled opponent of the capitalist market economy. Already during his studies, he developed the question of the regulatory role of the state in overcoming the shortcomings of capitalism. In his reforms, Steinbach regarded the state bureaucracy as a means of overcoming class antogonism. Throughout his life, his ideas changed - starting his career as a left-wing liberal, he gradually moved to a conservative position. His views are similar to the views of Bismarck. As a supporter of universal suffrage, Steinbach simultaneously noted that a democratically elected parliament is absolutely incapable of meaningful lawmaking. For him, electoral reform was primarily a means of neutralizing the labor movement, suppressing liberalism, weakening and creating confusion in parliament, the result of which was to strengthen the power of the emperor and the government.

• Steinbach, Emil // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Wolfgang Fritz: Finanzminister Emil Steinbach. Der Sohn des Goldarbeiters. Verlag Lit, Wien 2007, ISBN 978-3-7000-0711-1 .
• A. Spitzmüller: Emil Steinbach. In: Anton Bettelheim (Hrsg.): Neue österreichische Biographie 1815-1918. Verlag Amalthea, Band 2, Wien 1925.