October 4- Austrian dictator born

As Austria has been mentioned a few times, however undeservedly, in recent discussions about Turkey�s possible entry into the EU, here is a short glimpse of Austria�s history.

On October 4,1892, Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria from 1932-1934 was born in Texing, Austria.
Dollfuss was one of the leading exponents of Austro-Fascism, a rightwing, authoritarian and Catholic movement, that ruled Austria in the 1930s.
After its defeat in WW1, Austria had two overriding identity problems, firstly it had to overcome its fall from one of the leading European countries of the pre-war era to a much reduced and rather insignificant country, and secondly its relation with its equally defeated, but still powerful Germanic neighbour. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the majority of parties in the newly formed Republic, constituted by the German speaking areas of the former Empire, had actually asked for unification with Germany, with which Austria had shared most of its history. The Treaty of St.Germain in 1919, between the victorious Allies and the Austrian Republic, however prohibited any possible union with Germany, and Austria enjoyed a few years of a democratic, if somewhat unstable, development.



Austria before and after WW1

The rise of the Nazi party in Germany in the late 20s and early 30s however disturbed the Alpine idyll. From the beginning it had been a declared intention of Hitler, himself born in Linz, Austria, to lead the country of his fathers �Heim ins Reich� (�Back into the Empire�) and the Austrian offshoot of the NSDAP with the same name , actively supported Hitler�s policies from inside Austria.
The worldwide depression of the late 20s also affected Austria deeply, it suffered a severe economic crisis and a virtual civil war on Austrian streets between the Nazis and their Communist enemies, and like many other countries in Europe, Austria fell for the same apparent solution of its crisis: A strong man at the head of a strong government.
In March 1932, Engelbert Dollfuss, the then leader of Austria�s largest party, the right-wing Christian Socialist Party, far more Christian/Catholic than Socialist, became Chancellor and in March 1933, two months after Hitler assumption of power, dissolved the Austrian parliament and continued to rule with emergency measures. The abolition of the free press and the persecution of any political opposition soon followed, and by the end of 1933 had become a fascist state like so many others in Europe.



The Austrian Dictator Engelbert Dollfuss


Dollfuss soon merged any still legal, conservative, parties into the �Patriotic Front�, with him as its authoritarian leader at its head. If anything the Austro-Fascism modeled itself on its Italian neighbour, it didn�t really possess any of the racial or expansionist elements of German Nazism; in fact the Dollfuss regime strictly resented any of Hitler�s attempts to seek unification.
It would cost him his life. Austrian Nazis were of course still demanding a pan-Germanic state, and bitterly frustrated by Dollfuss�s resistance, a group of NSDAP members stormed the seat of government in Vienna on July, 25 1934 assassinated the Chancellor and Dictator of Austria , Engelbert Dollfuss.
He was succeeded by Karl Schuschnigg, a fellow CSP and Patriotic Front member, who banned the Nazi party and somehow managed to preserve Austria�s independence until the invasion of German troops on March 12 1938 and the subsequent annexation of Austria, the �Anschluss�.

What else happened on this day?

1830 Belgium declares independence from the Kingdom of the United Netherlands.

1957 The Soviet Union launches� Sputnik�, the world's first artificial Earth satellite. It weighed 184 pounds, and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes.

Full list:

Wikipedia

Edited by Komnenos

That map is not correct. Post World War Austria also got some territory (later known as Burgenland) from Hungary.

Thanks for broadening my limited knowledge of Austria!

Other events occurring today in:

1824 - Mexico becomes a republic

1864 - National black convention meets (Syracuse NY)

1880 - University of California founded in Los Angeles

1883 - Orient Express' 1st run, linking Turkey to Europe by rail

1910 - Portugal becomes a republic, King Manuel II flees to England

1953 - Mickey Mantle hits a grand slam in World Series



Morty

The date itself is also a mistake. A treaty was signed in 1920, not 1919.

I have used it only to sign the differences on the border of Austria and Hungary.