Anarchism in Austria first developed from the anarchist segments of theInternational Workingmen's Association (IWA), eventually growing into a nationwideanarcho-syndicalist movement that reached its height during the 1920s. Following the institution offascism inAustria and thesubsequent war, the anarchist movement was slow to recover, eventually reconstituting anarcho-syndicalism by the 1990s.
Following the establishment of theFirst French Empire in 1804, theHoly Roman EmperorFrancis II proclaimed the establishment of theAustrian Empire under the rule of theHabsburg monarchy. Following the Austrian defeat at theBattle of Austerlitz in 1806, theHoly Roman Empire wasdissolved and replaced with theConfederation of the Rhine, a French client state. In 1813, this too was dissolved in the wake of the French defeat at theBattle of Leipzig and in the ensuingGerman campaign, Austria united with a number of German states as part of theGerman Confederation, though it retained rule over territories outside of the confederation - inHungary,Croatia,Bohemia,Galicia–Lodomeria andLombardy–Venetia.
During theRevolutions of 1848,liberal,nationalist andleft-wing ideas rose to prominence throughout the Austrian Empire, resulting in a number of revolts against the central state in order to achieveindependence andrepresentative democracy. The youngMikhail Bakunin had attempted to aid thepan-slavist movements in the Austrian territories ofCzechia,Ruthenia andPoland, organizing anattempted revolution to overthrow Austrian rule. But Bakunin was captured by the Austrian authorities and eventually handed over to theRussian Empire. Despite some minor concessions, the suppression of the revolutions generated a hatred of Austrian despotism by the working classes - with one general of the counter-revolutionJulius Jacob von Haynau being physically attacked by brewery workers upon a visit to London in 1850.[1]
The economic crisis brought on by thePanic of 1857 and the political crisis brought on by theAustro-Sardinian War led to the spread ofclass consciousness among the Austrian working classes, culminating in the 1860s with the establishment of theInternational Workingmen's Association (IWA).[2] A number of radical new schools of thought began to propagate throughout Austria, including thesocialist tendencies ofanarchism,syndicalism andsocial democracy, as well asliberal tendencies such asindividualism,laissez-fairecapitalism and theAustrian School of economics.
The new emperorFranz Joseph I spent his early years resisting the rise of reformist sentiments, but following the Austrian defeat in theSeven Week's War which excluded Austria from the German Confederation, he eventually conceded to theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, transforming the empire into theconstitutionaldual monarchy ofAustria-Hungary. The country's largely agricultural economy then underwent anindustrial revolution, accelerating the country's transformation into acapitalist economy.[3] By this time the IWA had already spread to Austria, with nearly all of the individual workers' organizations in the country adhering to the international.[4]
By 1869, a more tightly organized workers' movement had emerged from an Austrian branch of theSocial Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP). Despite the fact that the international was not able to pursue its activities legally in Austria, due to a law which prohibitedinternationalism, by the time of the SDAP's foundation the IWA already counted 13,350 members in Austria - with 10,000 hailing solely from Vienna. The Austrian section sent two delegates, Neumayer and Oberwinder, to the IWA'sBasel Congress and continued to grow despite the domestic repression against it.[5] By 1870, the Austrian section of the IWA had around 50,000 members, with some French lawyers even estimating the number to be as high as 100,000.[6]
Following the split in the International between theMarxists and theanarchists, the Austrian workers' movement was torn apart, as workers gravitated either towards the anarchist camp (led byAndreas Scheu) or the moderate social-democratic camp (led byHeinrich Oberwinder), with Marx's General Council completely losing its influence in Austria.[7] In the wake of this division, the Austrian government began to severely repress the radical anarchist movement, while leaving the moderate social-democrats largely unmolested - allowing it to outgrow the anarchists.[8] In 1874, the social democratic camp made moves toward the establishment of a political party, culminating with the foundation of theSocial Democratic Party of Austria. Many in the anarchist camp, facing harassment by the government, were forced into exile inLondon, where they made contact with other socialist immigrants, collaborated onJohann Most'sFreiheit paper and joined theSocial Democratic Federation - with the anarchist section later splitting to found theSocialist League.
The remaining anarchists in Austria found themselves completely unable to organize within the workers' movement, due to the severe repression levelled against them by the Austrian government. This repression, coupled with the influx of the more militant ideas ofFreiheit such aspropaganda of the deed, radicalized many previously moderate anarchists towardsterrorism.[8] Anarchist militants began to carry out acts of violence against the upper classes and police officers,expropriations for theredistribution of wealth and a number of spontaneous uprisings in Vienna throughout the 1890s.[9] In 1898,Empress Elisabeth of Austria was assassinated in Geneva by the Italian anarchistLuigi Lucheni.[10] Despite acting alone,conspiracy theories that Lucheni was part of a plot to assassinate the Emperor spread throughout the empire, with reprisals being threatened againstItalians inVienna.[11] This radical nature of anarchism at the time drove more workers towards the Social Democratic Party which, following the implementation ofuniversal manhood suffrage, waselected to theImperial Council with nearly one quarter of the vote.
Nevertheless, anarchists began to once again organize within the workers' movement and the anarcho-syndicalist movement began to grow in Austria at the turn of 20th century. Independent trade unions spread throughout the country, organizing thousands of members of each trade, the most radical of which was the shoemakers' union - which developed strong anarchist tendencies. In 1904, the newspaperGeneralstreik was first published in Vienna, becoming one of the first explicitly anarcho-syndicalist publications.[9] The rise in anarchist sentiment within trade unions culminated with the foundation of theGeneral Trade Union Federation of Austria, organized alonganarcho-syndicalist lines.[12] However, workers of the time largely remained conservative social-democrats,[8] and thus the revolutionary syndicalist movement was only able to organize limited groups of workers.[12]
Following ageneral strike in 1907,universal suffrage was finally granted and in thesubsequent election, the Social Democrats saw a large increase in the share of seats and became one of the most powerful parties in the Parliament. But with these electoral gains also came a disillusionment withparliamentarism among the working classes, some of whom again began to gravitate towards anarchism. That same year, the German-language anarcho-communist newspaperWelfare for All began to be published on a fortnightly basis, reinvigorating interest in the anarchist movement and becoming the chief suppliers of anarchist literature throughout theGerman-speaking countries.[8] Austrian anarchists of this period were largelyanarcho-communists, influenced byPeter Kropotkin andElisee Reclus, but also developed a notableChristian anarchist tendency inspired byLeo Tolstoy, in order to contend with the deep penetration of Catholicism in the country.[8]
On 28 June 1914, members ofYoung Bosnia carried out theassassination ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, inspired by the anarchist conception ofpropaganda of the deed. This act of "tyrannicide" triggered a series of events that eventually spiralled intoWorld War I, beginning with theinvasion of Serbia by Austria Hungary and their fellowCentral Powers. Anarchists organized ananti-militarist resistance in response to the war's outbreak, encouraging people to refuse to do military service. One of the anarchists that refused wasPierre Ramus, who spent most of the war either in prison or under house arrest.[13] The Social Democrats initially supported the Austrian entry into the war, despite having made anti-militarist statements in the past.[12]
By 1917, as the war reached its apex, workers' strikes became increasingly more common, especially among women who were now playing a large role in manufacturing. Anarcho-syndicalists such asLeo Rothziegel held a strong influence in the workers' movement of the time, encouraging the formation ofworkers' councils and the organization of ageneral strike.[9] This strike movement peaked on 14 January 1918, when the flour ration was halved and a spontaneouswildcat strike spread throughout the country, as thousands of locomotive workers put down their tools. This quickly evolved into ageneral strike, as hundreds of thousands of Viennese workers joined andworkers' councils were established in order to coordinate the strike throughparticipatory democracy. When the government promised to reform war benefits, establish a food service and democratize municipal election law, the workers' councils called off the strike and workers returned to work on 21 January.[14] In the wake of the general strike, more actions followed, including strikes, factory occupations and the formation of workers' councils - with over 800,000 workers taking part in elections to these councils. The workers movement in Austria during 1918 played a decisive role in bringing the Austrian participation in the conflict to an end.[9]
Following theArmistice of 11 November 1918, the emperorCharles I abdicated and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved into a number of different nation-states. InGerman-Austria,elections were subsequently held withwomen's suffrage and the Social Democratic Party emerged as the largest party, overseeing theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye with theEntente Powers and the creation of theFirst Austrian Republic. In the newly founded republic, Pierre Ramus established theLeague of Dominationless Socialists (German:Bund herrschaftsloser Sozialisten, BhS), which quickly gained popularity, declaring:[15]
All who represent a constructive concept of socialism and want to create the latter through mental clarity and practical action in the sense of realization; all who want to free themselves from the errors of anyauthoritarian socialism orstate socialist direction and their dictatorial goals of rule and doctrine of violence; all who represent the principle ofantimilitarism in their attitudes and conduct of life; All who deny the state principle of rulership and instead strive for a community of free individualities based on solidarity - they are all cordially invited to become members of the League of Dominant Socialists.
Following the defeat of theHungarian Soviet Republic, the workers' councils movement in Austria was no longer able to assert itself against the state,[9] and the growth of the anarcho-syndicalist movement ran into difficulties due to the rise ofBolshevism.[12] Workers subsequently began to join the nascentCommunist Party which competed with the Social Democrats for status as thevanguard, despite both ostensibly being Marxists in orientation.[12] In 1920, the Social Democratslost election to the right-wingChristian Social Party (CSP). Throughout the 1920s, political tensions in Austria heightened, asparamilitary groups began to operate throughout the country. TheHome Guard, was established by demobilised soldiers initially to defend the borders of the new country,[16] but over that time gravitated towardsfar-rightnationalist politics and eventually became thede facto paramilitary wing of the CSP.[17] In the face of the further radicalization of the Austrian right-wing, the Social Democrats established theRepublican Protection League in order to defend themselves from the Home Guard.[18] The Social Democrats, now locked in opposition, also began to pull ideas from anarchist theory - establishing aworkers' bank along the lines of themutualism proposed byPierre-Joseph Proudhon.[12]
Anarcho-syndicalists maintained a consistent criticism of the communist and social democratic controlled workers' associations - which they perceived as a way of maintaining workers' discipline by the politicians.[12] The workers' movement consequently became subordinated to the cause of conquering parliamentary power by political parties.[9] In contrast, the anarcho-syndicalist organizations were able to organize strikes for higher wages, anti-militarist demonstrations and independent trade unions.[12] Despite the difficulties posed by the Communists and Social Democrats, the anarcho-syndicalist movement more than tripled in size.[12] In 1921 an anarcho-syndicalist congress was held inInnsbruck and, a few years later, Austrian anarcho-syndicalists affiliated to theIWA-AIT.[9] By 1925, the BhS had grown to 4,000 dues-paying members organized into more than 60 local groups all around Austria,[15] and its organKnowledge and Liberation was distributed throughout all the major cities and towns in the country.[12] But the BhS, under the leadership of Ramus, eventually developed away from anarcho-syndicalism and towards a reformist position based onco-operative economics. In response, an anarcho-syndicalist group of 30 to 40 people established an Austrian branch of theFree Workers' Union (FAU) and distributed the anarcho-syndicalist newspapersDer Freie Arbeiter andDer Syndikalist throughout Austria. The Austrian FAU most notably organized a taxi drivers' union, which had 120 registered members and 1200 subscribers to its newspaperDer Taxichauffeur. However, this union too lost its anarcho-syndicalist character over time, appearing to take on a social democratic position and even makinganti-semitic attacks against trucking entrepreneurs. The remaining anarcho-syndicalist movement in Vienna continued to see a number of small victories, such as a successful wildcat strike in a café.[9]
In 1932, the AustrofascistEngelbert Dollfuss was appointed asChancellor, at the head of a broad right-wing coalition government with only a one-vote majority in Parliament.[19] In order to tackle the problems of theGreat Depression, the new government undertook aneconomic restructuring, closely advised by the chief ofchamber of commerce - the Austrian School economistLudwig von Mises.[20] The government also implemented repressive social policy, immediately banning all conventions by opposition parties - both left and right wing. Government repression intensified following the "Self-elimination of the Austrian Parliament", which granted Dolfuss the means torule by decree and establish a fascist dictatorship.[21] Dolfuss merged the right-wing political parties into theFatherland Front and banned all opposition parties, transforming Austria into aone-party state. Vice-chancellorEmil Fey oversaw the subsequent suppression of the Austrian left-wing, arresting a number of socialist, communist and anarchist political figures, includingPierre Ramus - who later escaped to Switzerland.[15] The tensions between the Austrian left-wing and the ruling government eventually erupted into theAustrian Civil War, which resulted in thede facto elimination of any organized left-wing movement and the consolidation of power by the government - culminating in the establishment of theFederal State of Austria, founded under a fascist constitution. Soon after, anattempted coup by theAustrian Nazi Party resulted in the assassination of Dolfuss, who was succeeded as Chancellor byKurt Schuschnigg. Ludwig von Mises left the country shortly after theputsch, going first to Switzerland and then on to theUnited States,[22] where he became a key influence onMurray Rothbard - the founder ofanarcho-capitalism.[23]
In the wake of theSpanish Revolution of 1936, libertarian sentiments began to flare up again. The anarcho-syndicalist movement, which had been continuing to organize underground, published a number of leaflets inspired by the revolution, even at risk of capture by the dictatorship. Following theNazi invasion of Austria in 1938, underground anarchist groups even published a few diatribes against Hitler and Nazism,[9] but the consolidation of fascism over Austria and the subsequentwar resulted in the anarchist movement going temporarily into remission.
After the war, the anarchist movement experienced a rejuvenation, mainly adhering to the cooperativist line taken by Ramus in his later years, with a number of diverse anarchist groups also constituting, gaining a foothold in the state ofStyria. An anarcho-syndicalist group inHietzing, theHietzinger Revolutionary Socialists and Anarchists, even managed to ensure a continuity between the inter-war and post-war anarchist movements. The countercultural movement of the 1970s and the ecology movement of the 1980s brought about a broader revival of anarchist movement in Austria, especially that of the cooperativist tendency,[9] which was notably taken up by the Viennese Anarchist Group.[24] By the 1990s, a number of autonomous groups had formed throughout the country, notably thesocial anarchistRevolutionsbräuhof group in Vienna.[9]
In 1993, theFree Workers' Union (FAU) was reconstituted at the initiative of a small group in Vienna, organizing a congress and a "Libertarian Days" event in the city. During the 1990s, the FAU was involved in two wildcat strikes at aBilla warehouse inWiener Neudorf, due to a dispute between the management and the workforce - which primarily consisted ofKurdish andTurkish immigrant workers. After the formation of the "BILLA Protest Initiative" by around 80 people, improved working conditions were secured by the striking workers. However, the Vienna FAU would end up dissolving following the withdrawal of its founder Adi Rasworschegg. Other initiatives were made to reestablish the FAU in Vienna, as well as inUpper Austria andVorarlberg, but none of these groups lasted long. The anarcho-syndicalist movement would eventually be carried into the 21st century with the establishment of theAllgemeinen Syndikat Wiens, which has organized trade unions in thesocial work andeducation sectors. This was followed by the establishment of a syndicate in Upper Austria and subsequently a nationwide anarcho-syndicalist federation.[9]
On 7 July 2021, around twenty activists of theanarcha-feminist groupAlerta Feminista stormed the offices of the conservative tabloidOe24, in protest against what they described as the "racist reporting" on the newspaper's website. They distributed leaflets and allegedly attacked Oe24 employees, although there were no injuries reported, later fleeing the scene following the arrival of the police.[25]
