Austrian National Socialism
Austrian National Socialism was a
Pan-Germanic movement that originated at the turn of the last century. The movement took a concrete form on
November 15,
1903 when the German Worker's Party (D.A.P.) was established in Austria with its
secretariat stationed in the town of
Aussig. A year later in Trautenau, the DAP unveiled a program which in part says:
- "We are a liberty-loving nationalistic party that fights energetically against reactionary tendencies as well as feudal, clerical, or capitalistic priviledges and all alien influences." (1)
Party Origins
\nFranko Stein of Eger (Cheb) and an apprentice bookbinder Ludwig Vogel of Brüx organized the Deutschnationaler Arbeiterbund (German National Workers' League) in 1893. This was a collection of laborers, apprentices, and unionists from the railroads, and mining and textile industries who organized around their nationalism through the continuing conflicts with the non-German speaking portions of the workforce, esp. 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 the Organization of Nationalistic Labor League for Austria, "Deutschpolitischer Arbeiterverein für Österreich" in Saaz. In Aussig, on November 15, 1903, they reorganized with a new name called the "Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in Österreich" (DAP) or German Workers Party. At further party congresses, Hans Knirsch proposed to call the "Deutsch-soziale" or "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei". It was blocked by the Bohemian groups who were afraid of copying the Czech National Socialist Party. (2) Another early member of this group is Ferdinand Burschowsky, a printer from Hohenstadt (Moravia) who was active in writing and publishing.
At a party congress in Vienna in May of 1918, the DAP party changed its name to the Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei (D.N.S.A.P.) and produced a National Socialist Program which is thought to have influenced the German Nazi manifesto. \nThe Austrian DNSAP split into two factions in 1923, the Deutschsozialen Verein (German Social Association) led by Dr. Walter Riehl and the Schulz -Gruppe. It also split into its nationalist groups like the Sudeten German National Socialist Party. After 1926 most former DNSAP members became supporters of the German NSDAP led by Hitler and were one of the chief elements leading the pro-Nazi coup in 1938 that brought about the Anschluss with Germany.
References
\n#Liberty or Equality, pp 254-260; Leftism Revisited, pp 145-149, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn,
Related topics
\n*National Socialism (disambiguation)\n*Nazi Party
Bibliography
\n*Austrian National Socialism, Andrew Gladding Whiteside, publisher: Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, l962.\n*Hitler and the Forgotten Nazis: A History of Austrian National Socialism, Pauley, Bruce F., University of North Carolina Press, 1981. ISBN 0807814563
