!!!Demokratie

Democracy: A form of society and government in which the supreme power 
is vested in the people and exercised by them directly. Following the 
examples of the United States and the French Revolution, democracy 
became the dominant social form in the western world in the 
20%%sup th/%  century.

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In Austria, very simple forms of democracy existed in small 
communities from the Middle Ages,  Weistuemer. At a regional level, 
more complex forms of representative democracy were exercised: People 
were chosen by particular bodies which they had to represent and to 
which they were responsible. In the Middle Ages and Early Modern 
period, the representatives of the peasant courts and the valleys in 
Tyrol and Vorarlberg, the councillors and mayors of the towns and 
cities had similar functions. The town guilds also had a democratic 
form of organisation.

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At a provincial and national level, democratic endeavours were 
repressed and finally abolished by the emergence of  Absolutism from 
the 17%%sup th/%  century onwards. Here the ruler had absolute power 
as well as sole power in judicial matters. Only the political 
developments in the wake of the 1848 Revolution brought a democratic 
constitution. The 1848/49 Reichstag was an instrument of 
representative democracy, but its draft constitution did not come into 
force. A consequence of the revolution, however, was that local 
municipalities formed in 1850 and, after 1861, Diets in which 
citizen's representatives assembled (according to the curia 
principle). The parliaments of the Monarchy, whose deputies were 
directly elected on a simple majority principle from 1873 onwards, 
were representative of only a part of the population. Similarly, the 
1907 universal suffrage was limited to men. A decisive factor in the 
democratisation process since 1867, however, became the freedom of 
assembly and the right to form associations, parties, and various 
interest groups (trade unions, chambers of commerce), where members of 
the lower classes were able to learn democratic forms of action.

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The Republic of Austria was founded in 1918 as a democratic state on 
the basis of popular sovereignty, and the  Federal Constitution of 
1920 along with bodies such as political parties, chambers and various 
organs enabled the realisation of democratic life. In practice, this 
rule of the people was exercised through elections to parliament, 
provincial assemblies and local councils on the basis of proportional 
representation, although most power was given to the political 
parties. From the late 1920s anti-democratic forces were increasing. 
From the dissolution of parliament in March 1933 to the  Maiverfassung 
(May Constitution) in 1934, democracy in Austria was gradually 
abolished. At lower levels, however, anti-democratic forms of 
government were not entirely successful. Only National Socialism 
achieved the abolition of all democratic forms and their replacement 
by the Fuehrer principle.

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The Republic of Austria was re-established in 1945 as a representative 
democracy. People's representatives were again elected in the first 
elections to parliament and to the provincial assemblies on 
November 25, 1945. Interest-group representatives were also 
established on a democratic basis. In addition, various elements of 
direct democracy have played an increasing role, for example 
Citizens´ Initiatives, referendums (Volksbefragung) and popular 
initiatives (Volksbegehren, since 1963) and plebiscites 
(Volksabstimmung). Frequently their results have led to corresponding 
decisions by the elected bodies on all levels (1964 
"Rundfunksvolksbegehren", 1978 plebiscite on the construction of a 
nuclear power station at Zwentendorf; 1994 plebiscite on the accession 
to the European Union).


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