Austrian Nazism or Austrian National Socialism was a

pan-German Pan-Germanism (german: Pangermanismus or '), also occasionally known as Pan-Germanicism, is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify all the German-speaking people – and possibly also Germanic-speaking ...

movement that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The movement took a concrete form on 15 November 1903 when the German Worker's Party (DAP) was established in Austria with its

secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

stationed in the town of Aussig (now Ústí nad Labem in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

). It was suppressed under the rule of

Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuß (alternatively: ''Dolfuss'', ; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian clerical fascist politician who served as Chancellor of Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and Agriculture, he ...

(1932–34), with its political organization, the DNSAP ("German National Socialist Workers' Party") banned in early 1933, but revived and made part of the

German Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported th ...

after the German annexation of Austria in 1938.

Origins

Franko Stein, from the town of

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...

(now Cheb, Czech Republic) and an apprentice bookbinder Ludwig Vogel, from the town of

Brüx Most (; german: Brüx; la, Pons) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 63,000 inhabitants. It lies between the Central Bohemian Uplands and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the B ...

(now Most, Czech Republic), organised the ''Deutschnationaler Arbeiterbund'' (German National Workers' League) in 1893. It was a collection of labourers, apprentices, and

trade unionists A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (su ...

from the railroads, mines, and textile industries, who upheld nationalism as a result of their conflicts with the non-German-speaking portions of the workforce, especially in the railway systems. In 1899, Stein was able to convene a workers' congress in Eger and promulgated a 25-point program. Another convention was called in April 1902, under the title of "German-Political Workers' Association for Austria" (german: Deutschpolitischer Arbeiterverein für Österreich), in

Saaz Saaz may refer to: *Saaz, the former German name of Žatec, a town in the Czech Republic **Saaz hops, a hop variety used in production of pilsener style beer **DSV Saaz, a former football club in Žatec * ''Saaz'' (film), a 1998 Indian film * Saaz ...

. In Aussig, on 15 November 1903, they reorganized under the name of the "German Workers' Party in Austria" (german: Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in Österreich). At further party congresses,

Hans Knirsch Hans Knirsch (14 September 1877 in Třebařov – 6 December 1933 in Duchcov) was an Austro-German activist from Moravia for Austrian Nazism. After the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he led the original party in Bohemia, called the Ge ...

proposed to call themselves the "Nationalsozialistische" (National-Socialist) or "Deutsch-Soziale" (German-social) Workers' Party. The Bohemian groups blocked the proposal, who did not want to copy the name of the

Czech National Social Party Czech National Social Party (Czech: ''Česká strana národně sociální'', ČSNS) is a civic nationalist political party in the Czech Republic, that once played an important role in Czechoslovakia during the interwar period. It was established ...

. An early member of this group is Ferdinand Burschowsky, a printer from Hohenstadt (Moravia), who was active in writing and publishing.

DNSAP

At a party congress in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in May 1918, the DAP changed its name to the ''Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei'' (DNSAP) and produced a

National Socialist Program The National Socialist Program, also known as the 25-point Program or the 25-point Plan (), was the party program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP, and referred to in English as the Nazi Party). Adolf Hitler announced the par ...

, which is thought to have influenced the later German Nazi manifesto. From 1920, the swastika was added as the party symbol. Before 1920, it consisted of a hammer, oak leaves and a quill. The Austrian DNSAP split into several factions in 1923 and again in 1926, the '' Deutschsozialen Verein'' (German-Social Association) led by Dr. Walter Riehl, the ''Schulz-Gruppe'', , and other splinter groups. After 1930, most former DNSAP members became supporters of the German

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

led by Austrian-born

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and were one of the chief elements leading the pro-Nazi coup in 1938 that brought about the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

of Austria with Germany. According to fascism scholar Stanley G. Payne, if elections had been held in 1933, the DNSAP might have mustered about 25% of the votes. Contemporary ''Time'' magazine analysts suggested a higher support of 50%, with a 75% approval rate in the

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

region bordering

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Leaders of the party, who were dubbed ''Landesleiter'' due to the recognition of Hitler as overall ''

Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...

'', included

Alfred Proksch Alfred Proksch (December 11, 1908 – January 3, 2011) was an Austrian Olympic athlete and graphic designer. The son of one of the co-founders of the Wiener Sport-Club, Proksch took an active interest in both athletics and g ...

(1931–33), Hermann Neubacher (1935) and

Josef Leopold Josef Leopold (18 February 1889 – 24 June 1941) was a leading member of the Nazi Party in Austria. He was the ''Landesleiter'' of the party from 1935 to 1938 and the head of the Sturmabteilung in Austria. He belonged to the pro-independence tend ...

(1936–38), although real power frequently lay with

Theodor Habicht Theodor Habicht (4 April 1898 – 31 January 1944) was a leading political figure in Nazi Germany. He played a leading role in the Austrian Nazi Party. During World War II, he was involved in the administration of Nazi-occupied Norway until his dis ...

, a German sent by Hitler to oversee Nazi activity in Austria.

References

Notes Bibliography * * * Rees, Philip (1990) ''

Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 The ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' is a reference book by Philip Rees, on leading people in the various far right movements since 1890. It contains entries for what the author regards as "the 500 major figures on the r ...

''. New York: Simon & Schuster. * Whiteside, Andrew Gladding (1962) ''Austrian National Socialism Before 1918''. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. Further reading * Pauley, Bruce F. (1981) ''Hitler and the Forgotten Nazis: A History of Austrian National Socialism''. Chapel Hill, North CarolinaL

University of North Carolina Press The University of North Carolina Press (or UNC Press), founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina. It was the first university press founded in the Southern United States. It is a member of the As ...

. * {{Authority control Nazi parties Political history of Austria German nationalism in Austria German nationalist political parties Banned far-right parties

Origins

DNSAP

See also

References