!!!Nationalsozialismus

National Socialism: On November 14, 1904, a "German Workers´ 
Party" was founded in Aussig (Ústí nad Labem, Czech 
Republic), which won 3 seats in 1911 and called itself "German 
National Socialist Workers´ Party" (DNSAP) from 1918; the word 
"socialist" was meant to differentiate them from the bourgeois German 
nationalist movement. The Austrian wing under W.  Riehl won only 
23,431 votes in 1919 but 2 seats in the Landtag of Salzburg. From 1920 
the swastika was worn as a distinguishing mark and contact with the 
party wing in Munich was established. In 1920 and 1922 A.  Hitler 
participated in meetings and lectured in Austria. The Austrian DNSAP 
split into W. Riehl's "Deutschsozialer Verein" and into the 
"Schulzgruppe" led by the post-office official K. Schulz, which were 
hostile to one another. On May 4, 1926, the NSDAP (Hitler movement) 
was re-established in Vienna by R.  Suchenwirth, and completely 
subordinated itself to the party in Germany. According to the German 
model, a provincial administration was established, in 1927 a 
gauleiter was appointed for each province. T. Habicht was the German 
"gauinspektor" from 1931-1934. In the elections to the Nationalrat 
(1930) the NSDAP received only 111,843 votes and no seat. However, the 
party enlarged its organization and its paramilitary groups 
(Sturmabteilungen = SA, Schutzstaffeln = SS) and was very successful 
in the Landtag and municipal elections in Vienna, Lower Austria and 
Salzburg in 1932 (Vienna 15 seats, Lower Austria 8, Salzburg 6). After 
an attack on members of the auxiliary police forces, the NSDAP was 
prohibited on June 19, 1933, was declared illegal but tried to 
destabilize Austria through increased terrorist activities (bomb 
attacks in January, May and June 1934). The  July Putsch of July 25, 
1934, in which the Austrian chancellor E.  Dollfuss was killed, caused 
fighting in several parts of Austria, especially in Carinthia, Styria 
and Salzburg. National Socialists that had fled to Germany formed the 
Austrian  Legion.

\\
German pressure in the field of foreign policy beginning with the 
Thousand Mark Ban was alleviated by the envoy Franz von Papen from 
1935, but the NSDAP still remained the strongest opponent of the 
Corporate State. In the July Pact (  Juliabkommen) of 1936, Germany 
promised not to interfere with Austrian affairs, but the NSDAP became 
increasingly popular among the large number of unemployed young 
people, university graduates and teachers, in the army and among civil 
servants, among businessmen and also among workers and farmers. From 
July 1936 the party was considered more or less legal and founded a 
committee of seven people with the knowledge of the government and an 
"office for the people" (Volkspolitisches Referat) within the 
secretariat-general of the Fatherland Front (Vaterlaendische Front). 
However, within the NSDAP the command structure was changed, and the 
former landesleiter and gauleiter J.  Leopold dismissed. In March 
1938,  Seyss-Inquart, who came from a pro-annexationist background, 
played the most important role along with a Carinthian group (H. 
Klausner, F.  Rainer, O.  Globocnik), whereas E.  Kaltenbrunner, head 
of the Austrian SS from 1937, was a hardliner. The party became 
increasingly controlled by persons from Germany (Goering's adviser W. 
Keppler) while regional leaders in Austria lost influence. 
Nevertheless they promoted the seizure of power in all larger cities 
by means of enormous demonstrations ( Austria 1938-1945).

\\
Gauleiter J.  Buerckel shaped the further development of the NSDAP, 
which was organized following the German model even before the 
anschluss (from gauleiter and kreisleiter down to local organisations, 
 Hitlerjugend etc.). The NSDAP tried to penetrate all social spheres 
by means of associations (National Socialist Association, Strength 
through Joy, the German Labour Front, National Socialist German 
Student League, National Socialist Motor Corps, "Volkskultur"). 
Strictly organized mass rallies were common practice.

\\
The number of members in the NSDAP increased rapidly because it 
brought advantages and privileges. About 38,000 persons were 
recognized as former "illegals" (especially in Carinthia and in 
Styria), in November 1938 127,056 people paid membership fees and by 
February 1942 688,478 (among them 159,927 members of the military). In 
1947 541,723 former party members were registered of whom 43,468 were 
members of the SS or high-ranking party members. More than 100,000 
people had been members of the illegal NSDAP before the anschluss. The 
decline in members can be explained by the number of soldiers who fell 
in the war and POWs who returned to Austria at a later date. The NSDAP 
recruited its members mostly from the middle classes, a large number 
worked in the administration or in the liberal professions, workers 
and farmers were a rather small group among party members. National 
Socialism was mainly supported by men, only 15% of party members were 
women. However, if family members are included, about 25% of the 
population were members.

\\
After the defeat of Germany in  World War II, the NSDAP was 
forbidden on May 8, 1945, by constitutional law (and, in international 
law, Article 10 of the State Treaty of May 15, 1955) and its members 
fell under the purview of special laws. In 1945 they were also 
disenfranchised. The Law on National Socialists ( Denazification) of 
1946 (amended in 1993) determined all further treatment and the 
resumption of National Socialist Activity was forbidden by law.

!Literature
G. Ruehle, Das Grossdeutsche Reich. Die oesterreichischen 
Kampfjahre, 1940; R. Luža, Oesterreich und die grossdeutsche Idee 
in der NS-Zeit, 1975; S. Meissl, K-D. Mulley and O. Rathkolb, 
Verdraengte Schuld, verfehlte Suehne. Entnazifizierung in Oesterreich 
1945-55, 1986; E. Tálos and E. Hanisch, NS-Herrschaft in 
Oesterreich 1938-45, 1988; B. F. Pauley, Der Weg in den 
Nationalsozialismus. Urspruenge und Entwicklung in Oesterreich, 1988; 
F. Schausberger, Ins Parlament, um es zu zerstoeren. Die 
Nationalsozialisten in den oesterreichischen Landtagen 1932/33, 1995.


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