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Dr. Walter Riehl (8 November 1881 – 6 September 1955) was an
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n lawyer and politician who was an early exponent of
Austrian National Socialism Austrian Nazism or Austrian National Socialism was a pan-German 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 Austri ...
. Belonging to the wing of that ideology that favoured links between Germany and an independent Austria, he lost influence as the drive for
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
grew within both Austrian National Socialism and German
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
.


Early years

A native of
Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...
,Riehl, Walter
/ref> Riehl joined the army as a one-year volunteer in 1900.
Philip Rees Philip Rees (born 1941) is a British writer and librarian formerly in charge of acquisitions at the J. B. Morrell Library, University of York. He has written books on fascism and the extreme right. Works *'' Fascism in Britain'' (Harvester P ...
, ''
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 ...
'', Simon & Schuster, 1990, p. 322
Following his military service he enrolled in the Faculty of Law at
Vienna University The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
and, after also studying at several institutions in Germany, he graduated in 1908 with his doctorate in law. Whilst studying he was briefly active in the
Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...
, where his main contribution was an attempt to influence fellow members towards the
temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...
. A devout member of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, he became appalled at the tendency towards
Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...
that was gaining importance in the party at the time, and ultimately left before 1907 citing the dominance of Jewish members within the party. From then on
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
was to be central to Riehl's personal political creed.


DNSAP

Moving to the right, Riehl was initially a disciple of
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
philosopher
Othmar Spann Othmar Spann (1 October 1878 – 8 July 1950) was a conservative Austrian philosopher, sociologist and economist. His radical anti-liberal and anti-socialist views, based on early 19th century Romantic ideas expressed by Adam Müller et al. ...
. Despite this he joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP) in 1908.R.J.B. Bosworth, ''The Oxford Handbook of Fascism'', Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 441 As a DAP member representing the
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
es he advocated a name change and a broadening of membership away from simply the
working classes The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
. Influenced by the radical racialist theories of
Georg Ritter von Schönerer Georg Ritter von Schönerer (17 July 1842 – 14 August 1921) was an Austrian landowner and politician of Austria-Hungary active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A major exponent of pan-Germanism and German nationalism in Austria who e ...
, Riehl took a leading role in organising the party's youth movement. Considered part of the DAP's radical wing, he argued that dictatorship was the only option in overcoming
class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
whilst also becoming noted for his expression of anti-Czech sentiments. His involvement with the party saw him lose the position he had held within the Austrian civil service and he spent time working in a lawyer's office in Germany around 1911. Following the outbreak of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he enlisted in the
Landsturm In various European countries, the term Landstorm (, Swedish and , roughly "land assault", ) was historically used to refer to militia or military units composed of conscripts who are not in regular army. It is particularly associated with Pru ...
before in late 1915 being recalled to the regular army, where he saw action on the Italian Front.Rees, ''Biographical Dictionary'', p. 323 He became deputy chairman of the DAP in March 1918 and two months leader took over as leader. The party was renamed ''
Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei Austrian Nazism or Austrian National Socialism was a German nationalism in Austria, pan-German movement that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The movement took a concrete form on 15 November 1903 when the German Workers' Party (A ...
'' (DNSAP) immediately after the break-up of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. As leader Riehl moved the DNSAP, which had mainly been an anti-
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
party towards
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. He sought to blame Austria's problems on the
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
s and wanted them expelled from the country. He also supported profit sharing and land reform and also sought to build up the party in universities, setting up a German Academic Association of National Socialists as early as June 1919. Where the DAP had been avowedly a "class" party, Riehl sought to distance the group from any such consideration, instead tying it in to the wider
Völkisch movement The ''Völkisch'' movement ( , , also called Völkism) was a Pan-Germanism, Pan-German Ethnic nationalism, ethno-nationalist movement active from the late 19th century through the dissolution of the Nazi Germany, Third Reich in 1945, with remn ...
. Riehl was aware from early on of the existence of the
German Workers' Party The German Workers' Party (, DAP) was a short-lived far-right political party established in the Weimar Republic after World War I. It only lasted from 5 January 1919 until 24 February 1920. The DAP was the precursor of the National Socialist ...
in Germany itself and maintained correspondence with its early leader
Anton Drexler Anton Drexler (13 June 1884 – 24 February 1942) was a German far-right political agitator for the ''Völkisch'' movement in the 1920s. He founded the German Workers' Party (DAP), the pan-German and anti-Semitic antecedent of the Nazi Part ...
. He was not a supporter of union with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
but nonetheless he accepted a subservient role to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
at an early stage, referring to him "''unseren reichsdeutschen führer''" (our German Reich leader) in 1922. Certainly contact was established between the two very early and Carsten has suggested that Hitler added the epithet 'National Socialist' to his German Workers Party in imitation of Riehl's movement. Riehl remained as leader of the DNSAP until 1923 when it split between the pro-Hitler and pro-independence factions. Initially placed on a leave of absence, supposedly for health reasons, Riehl was eventually expelled from the party as the Hitlerite wing gained the upper hand. Riehl took charge of the pro-independence ''Deutschsozialen Verein'' wing of the party with Karl Schulz leading the Hitlerite group. Riehl's party worked closely with the
Greater German People's Party The Greater German People's Party ( German ''Großdeutsche Volkspartei'', abbreviated GDVP) was a German nationalist political party during the First Republic of Austria, established in 1920. Foundation After World War I and the dissolution of ...
and in the 1927 election they presented a joint list under the name ''Nationale Einheitsfront''. He also played a role in
Hermann Hiltl Hermann Hiltl, also Hermann Ritter von Hiltl (16 June 1872 – 15 August 1930) was an Austrian army officer who became leader of his own right wing militia, the ''Frontkämpfervereinigung'' (Front Fighters' Union), after the First World War. He em ...
's ''Frontkämpfervereinigung'', a Pan-German militia group that was independent of the Nazis.


Return to favour

Riehl's profile fell somewhat after the split as the pro-Germany wing won the lion's share of support. However Riehl would come back into favour in 1925 when he defended Otto Rothstock at his trial for the murder of Hugo Bettauer. His involvement in the trial helped him to regain prestige in the DNSAP after resigning from the leadership following the schisms of 1923. Riehl gained notoriety for his defences of right-wing leaders in a number of cases and in the aftermath of the Schattendorf Incident it was he who secured the acquittal of the accused rightist leaders. Riehl returned to the Nazis on 26 September 1930, being admitted as member number 360.702. He returned to a prominent position within the party and used this influence to again promote his anti-Semitic agenda. In 1931 he called for
castration Castration is any action, surgery, surgical, chemical substance, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical cas ...
for any Jewish man caught having sex with an
Aryan ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...
girl and when elected to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
council the following year he made a further call for expulsion of the Jews from the area. Indeed, for Riehl anti-Semitism was the entire basis of the Nazis' appeal in Austria, along with their
anti-communism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...
.


Later years

Despite his extreme views on the Jews, Riehl was more committed to constitutional methods than some of his DNSAP colleagues and he became a critic of some of the group's excesses, such that he was expelled again on 9 August 1933. He was especially critical of the leadership of
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 di ...
and
Alfred Frauenfeld Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld (18 May 1898 – 10 May 1977) was an Austrian Nazi leader. An engineer by occupation, he was associated with the pro-German wing of Austrian Nazism. Early life Frauenfeld was born in Vienna, the son of a privy councill ...
, in particular the botched
Coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
of 1934 which resulted in the murder of
Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuss (alternatively Dollfuß; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian politician and dictator who served as chancellor of Federal State of Austria, Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and ...
. Advocating a more Christianity-based form of nationalism, he established the Weiner Stadtklub as an ideological discussion group in 1937, although this proved to be largely Nazi in character. Briefly held in detention by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
after the
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
, he then attempted to join the
NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...
but was rejected on account of his shaky record on supporting union with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.Profile in German
/ref> He was eventually allowed to join the Nazi Party although he was never more than a rank-and-file member. He disappeared from the public eye after this although after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he held membership of the
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...
. Riehl died in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riehl, Walter 1881 births 1955 deaths People from Wiener Neustadt Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I 20th-century Austrian lawyers Austrian Nazis Lawyers in the Nazi Party University of Vienna alumni