First Republic of Austria

Austrian Revolution

On November 11, 1918, Kaiser of Austria and King of Hungary Charles I declared his self-removal from reigning over Austria; on November 12, 1918, the Reichsrat abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords, proclaimed Empire Austria as the Republic of German Austria ( Republik Deutschösterreich ) and part of the German Empire, which automatically caused the breakdown of Austria Union of Hungary and the liquidation of Austria-Hungary. On the same day, the Reichsrat adopted the “Law on State Form and Form of Government of German Austria” ( Gesetz über die Staats- und Regierungsform von Deutschösterreich ), according to which elections for the Constitution of the Constitutional Assembly ( Konstituierende Nationalversammlung ) ^[1] were called for, the convening of the interim legislature became the Provisional National Assembly (Provisorische Nationalversammlung), which included all the members of the Reichsrat convocation in 1911, elected to the German part of Austria, became the interim executive body of the Council of State (Staatsrat), in lava from the State Chancellor (Staatskanzler), which became a Social Democrat Karl Renner.

National Constitutional Assembly

On February 16, 1919, elections to the National Constitutional Assembly took place, the first place in which the Social Democratic Labor Party of Austria received, the second place by a small margin - the Christian Social Party. On March 14, the National Constitutional Assembly passed laws on national representation ^[2] and on state government, according to which the National Constitutional Assembly became the legislative body, the executive body of the State Government ( Staatsregierung ).

Saint Germain Peace Treaty

On September 10, 1919, the Saint-Germain Peace Treaty was signed, Austria was prohibited from reunification with Germany, she recognized the independence of Czechoslovakia, Hungary. Southern Styria, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Croatia were transferred by Yugoslavia, Transylvania and Bukovina to the Kingdom of Romania, but Austria received Burgenland without Sopron. On October 21, 1919, the treaty ratified the Constitutional National Assembly, changing the name of the state to "Republic of Austria". On October 20, 1920, a plebiscite was held in southeastern Carinthia, on the basis of which this territory remained part of Austria.

1920 Constitution

On October 10, 1920, the Constitutional National Assembly adopted the Federal Constitutional Law, proclaiming Austria a democratic parliamentary republic.

First Republic of Austria

After 1920, the Christian-Social Party , which had close ties with the Roman Catholic Church, became the leading force in the government. The party leader, Ignaz Seipel , who took office as chancellor , directed his efforts to create a political coalition between leading industrialists and the church. Despite the long stay in power of one party, this did not add stability to Austrian politics. The country was constantly agitated by constant skirmishes between the left ( Republican schutzbund , German Republikanischer Schutzbund ) and the right ( Union for the Defense of the Motherland , German Heimwehr ) political paramilitary groups. In 1927, the left held mass protests, the reason for which was the justification by the court of right-wing radicals accused of killing a man and a child. This large-scale action of the left forces is known in history as the July Uprising of 1927 . As a result, the rebellion was only suppressed with the help of radical police actions, as a result of which a large number of protesters died. However, despite all government measures, the escalation of violence in the country did not stop until the early 1930s , when Engelbert Dolphus was elected chancellor.

Austrofascism

On May 20, 1933, the Patriotic Front was created; the Christian Social Party virtually ceased to exist. On May 1, 1934, the Federal Assembly adopted the May Constitution, the SDRPA was banned on February 16, 1934, and a one-party system was actually established in the country. This event caused a storm of emotions in neighboring Italy, led by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini . Duce suspected Germany of organizing the murder of Dolphus and promised military assistance to the Austro-fascist government in the event of an invasion of German troops. Mussolini's concern was largely due to the fact that the Nazis of Germany made claims on the Italian province of Tirol , most of which were ethnic Germans. Thanks to support from Italy, the Austrian state avoided the threat of forcible accession to Germany back in 1934 . The next Austrian chancellor was Kurt Schuschnigg . He continued Dolphus' policy of containing the Nazis, and in 1936 banned the activities of another radical organization - the Internal Defense.

Anschluss

In 1938, Hitler secured Italy's approval of his plans for the annexation of Austria, and immediately openly announced his intention to take power in the neighboring state. Schuschnigg, who tried in any way to avoid a war with the Germans, called a referendum on joining Germany. He had the last hope that the opinion of the people would be able to change the situation in favor of maintaining the sovereignty of Austria. Hitler was clearly not happy with this course of events, and he demanded the immediate resignation of Schuschnigg, who was eventually forced to submit. On March 11, the chancellor handed over his powers to the leader of the Austrian Nazis, Arthur Zeiss-Inquart , and the next day German troops were brought into the country. March 13, 1938 was its connection to Nazi Germany (Anschluss), and the land of Austria were converted into Reyhsgau Vienna, Reyhsgau Upper Danube, Reyhsgau Lower Danube, Reyhsgau Carinthia Reyhsgau Salzburg Reichsgau Steiermark, Reyhsgau Tyrol, Vorarlberg, manager is appointed Chancellor of Germany governors .

The territory was divided into land:

• Vienna ( Vienna )
• Upper Austria ( Sankt Pölten )
• Lower Austria ( Linz )
• Styria ( Graz )
• Carinthia ( Klagenfurt )
• Burgenland ( Eisenstadt )
• Salzburg ( Salzburg )
• Tyrol ( Innsbruck )
• Vorarlberg ( Bregenz )

The lands were divided into districts ( bezirk ) and statutory cities ( statuarstadt ; Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Linz, Salzburg, Eisenstadt, Rust, Sankt Pölten, Steyr, Villach, Waidhofen an der Ibs, Wiener Neust) counties - to urban communities ( stadtgemeinde ), trade communities ( marktgemeinde ) and rural communities ( landgemeinde ), statutory cities - to urban districts ( stadtbezirk ). The representative body of the land - the Zemsky Seim ( landtag ) - was elected by the population according to the proportional system, the executive body - the Zemstvo government ( landesregierung ), consisting of the Zemstvo captain and Zemstvo advisers, was elected by the Zemsky seim. The districts were governed by district captains ( bezirkshauptmann ), who were appointed zemstvo captains. The representative body of the city community and the statutory city (community council; gemeinderat ), was elected by the population according to the proportional system, the executive body of the statutory city - the city senate ( stadtsenat ), the executive body of the city community - the city council ( stadtrat ) - was appointed by the community council.

The legislative body is the Federal Assembly ( Bundesversammung ), consisting of the Federal Council ( Bundesrat ), elected by the Zemsky Sejm, and the National Council ( Nationalrat ), elected by the people according to the proportional system for a period of 4 years. The head of state is the Federal President ( Bundespraesident ), elected by the people, was the supreme commander in chief, determined foreign policy and carried out representative functions. The executive body is the Federal Government ( Bundesregierung ), consisting of the Federal Chancellor ( Bundeskanzler ) and federal ministers ( bundesminister ), appointed by the Federal President and was responsible to the National Council ^[3] , the constitutional oversight body is the Constitutional Court ( Verfassungsgerichtshof ).

Political Parties

• Christian Social Party (Austria) ( Christlichsoziale Partei , KSP , CS ) - the most influential, to the right of the Social Democratic Party supported the 1920 Constitution, enjoyed the greatest support among Catholics in rural areas
• The Social Democratic Workers' Party of German Austria ( Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschösterreichs , SDAPDÖ , SDRPNA) - the second most influential, to the left of the KSP, to the right of the KPA, supported the Constitution of 1920, the smaller part was closer to the KPA, most enjoyed in urban areas
• The Communist Party of Austria ( Kommunistische Partei Österreichs , KPÖ , KPA ) - to the left of the SDRPNA, opposed the 1920 Constitution for the power of the Soviets, enjoyed some influence in urban areas, but overall could not gain much influence
• The Village Union ( Landbund ) - to the left of VNNP, to the right of the KhSP, was loyal to the Constitution of 1920, although it did not fight for its establishment, enjoyed the greatest influence in rural areas
• The Great German People’s Party ( Großdeutsche Volkspartei , GDVP , GNP ) - the third most influential party to the right of the KSP, opposed the 1920 Constitution for establishing strong sole power, included the pre-war German Radical Party, the German Progressive Party and the German People's Party
• The National Socialist German Workers Party of Austria ( Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei , DNSAP , NSDAP of Austria) - to the right of the GNP, opposed the 1920 Constitution for establishing strong sole power

The highest court is the Supreme Court ( Oberster Gerichtshof ), the courts of appeal are the highest land courts ( oberlandesgericht ):

• Vienna High Court of Justice ( Oberlandesgericht Wien )
• Graz High Land Court ( Oberlandesgericht Graz )
• Innsbruck High Land Court ( Oberlandesgericht Innsbruck )
• Supreme Land Court of Linz ( Oberlandesgericht Linz )

The courts of first instance - the land courts ( landgericht ), the lowest level of the judicial system - the district courts ( bezirksgericht ), were appointed by the Federal President.

• Federal Army ( Bundesheer )
  • 1st Brigade "Burgenland" (Vienna)
  • 2nd Brigade Vienna (Vienna)
  • 3rd Brigade “Lower Austria” (St. Pölten)
  • 4th Brigade Upper Austria (Linz)
  • 5th Styria Brigade (Graz)
  • 6th Brigade "Carinthia-Salzburg-Tirol-Vorarlberg" (Innsbruck)

Currency - based on the gold (gold-bullion) standard shilling ( Österreichischer Schilling ) (0.21172086 grams of gold), represented by:

• Copper-tin coins in denominations of 1 and 2 pennies (pennies in this case - 1/100 shillings):
• Copper-nickel coins in denominations of 5 and 10 groszy
• Silver coins in denominations of 1/2, 1, 2 and 5 shillings minted by the Austrian Mint ( Münze Österreich ), subordinate to the Ministry of Finance of Austria
• Banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 1000 shillings issued by the Austrian National Bank ( Österreichische Nationalbank ) and printed by the Austrian State Printing House ( Österreichische Staatsdruckerei ).

The postal and telephone service provider is the General Directorate of the Postal and Telegraph Office ( Generaldirektion für die Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung ) of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Trade. The railway operator is the Austrian Federal Railways ( Österreichische Bundesbahnen ). A tram existed in Vienna , St. Pölten , Salzburg , Linz , Klagenfurt , Innsbruck , Graz , Gmunden , Baden-Bai-Vin , Unterach and Ibs .

• Conference of Catholic Bishops of Austria ( Österreichische Bischofskonferenz ):
  • Church Province of Vienna ( Kirchenprovinz Wien )
    • The Archdiocese of Vienna ( Erzdiözese Salzburg ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Vienna and Lower Austria
    • Diocese of Linz ( Diözese Linz ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general in Upper Austria
    • Diocese of St. Pölten ( Diözese St. Pölten ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Lower Austria
  • Church Province of Salzburg ( Kirchenprovinz Salzburg )
    • The Archdiocese of Salzburg ( Erzdiözese Salzburg ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Salzburg
    • Diocese of Sekkau ( Diözese Seckau ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Styria
    • Diocese of Gurk ( Diözese Gurk ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Carinthia
    • The Apostolic Administration of Innsbruck-Feldkirch ( Apostolische Administratur Innsbruck-Feldkirch ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Tyrol and Vorarlberg
    • The apostolic administration of Burgenland ( Apostolischen Administratur Burgenland ) - united the majority of Catholics and the majority of believers in general Burgenland
• The Old Catholic Church of Austria ( Altkatholische Kirche Österreichs ) - brought together most of the Old Catholic Catholics of Austria
• Separate parishes of the Thyatira Metropolis of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople - united mainly Austrian Greek Orthodox
• Separate parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church
• The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetian Confessions of Austria ( Evangelische Kirche Augsburgischen und Helvetischen Bekenntnisses in Österreich ) - brought together most of the Lutherans and Calvinists of Austria
• Individual Baptist Communities
• Seventh-day Adventist Church Mission
• Separate Pentecostal Communities
• Selected Judaic Communities

The largest news agency is the Austria Presse Agentur . Radio stations Radio Wien I and Radio Wien II were part of the radio company RAVAG.