Julius Raab | |
|---|---|
 Raab in 1961 | |
| Chancellor of Austria | |
| In office 2 April 1953 – 11 April 1961 | |
| President | Theodor Körner Adolf Schärf |
| Vice-Chancellor | Adolf Schärf Bruno Pittermann |
| Preceded by | Leopold Figl |
| Succeeded by | Alfons Gorbach |
| President of theFederal Chamber of Commerce | |
| In office 26 May 1961 – 8 January 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Franz Dworak |
| Succeeded by | Rudolf Sallinger |
| In office 10 December 1946 – 18 April 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Franz Dworak |
| Minister for Public Buildings, Economic Transition and Reconstruction | |
| In office 27 April 1945 – 20 December 1945 | |
| Chancellor | Karl Renner |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister of Commerce and Transport | |
| In office 16 February 1938 – 11 March 1938 | |
| Chancellor | Kurt Schuschnigg |
| Preceded by | Wilhelm Taucher |
| Succeeded by | Hans Fischböck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1891-11-29)29 November 1891 |
| Died | 8 January 1964(1964-01-08) (aged 72) |
| Party | People's Party (1945–1964) |
| Other political affiliations | Christian Social Party (1927–1934) Fatherland Front (1934–1938) |
| Alma mater | Vienna University of Technology |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
| Part ofa series on |
| Conservatism in Austria |
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Julius Raab (29 November 1891 – 8 January 1964) was a conservative Austrian politician who served as FederalChancellor of Austria from 1953 to 1961. Raab steeredAllied-occupied Austria to independence, when he negotiated and signed theAustrian State Treaty in 1955. In internal politics Raab stood for a pragmatic "social partnership" and the "Grand coalition" of Austrian Conservatives andSocial Democrats.
Raab was born into a middle-class Catholic family inSankt Pölten,Lower Austria, the son of a master builder. He attended a Catholic high school and in 1911 enrolled at theVienna University of Technology to studycivil engineering. He was drafted into theAustro-Hungarian Army as apioneer officer before graduation and fought on theRussian andItalian fronts ofWorld War I. After the defeat ofCentral Powers Raab returned to the university and engaged in politics. On 14 January 1923, Raab married Harmine Haumer.[1][2]
The death of his father and the beginning of his political career in theFirst Austrian Republic compelled Raab to drop out of the university in 1925. From 1927 to 1934 he was a member of theNational Council parliament as a Lower Austrian deputy of theChristian Social Party. Backed by ChancellorIgnaz Seipel, he was also active in theHeimwehr paramilitary arm of right-wing political forces, and was appointed chief for Lower Austria in 1928. However, his attempts to bind the paramilitary forces to the Christian Social Party ultimately failed. In 1932 he joined the CatholicOstmärkische Sturmscharen forces led by his party fellowsKurt Schuschnigg andLeopold Figl. In 1933 Raab joined theFatherland's Front, the newly established right-wing coalition led by ChancellorEngelbert Dollfuss. During theaustrofascist period of 1934–1938 Raab progressed through the ranks of theCorporate State, and was appointed Minister of Commerce by Chancellor Schuschnigg just four weeks before the 1938Anschluss toNazi Germany.[3]
Raab was ousted after theAnschluss but, unlike many other Austrian political leaders, escaped death or imprisonment through the help of the Lower Austrian NaziGauleiterHugo Jury, whom he knew personally. He was never involved in theAustrian resistance but kept in touch with the old Christian Democrat elite[3] and supported his fellow Leopold Figl after his release from imprisonment.
In April 1945, Raab was made a member ofKarl Renner's provisional government, formed in theSoviet zone of occupation in Austria. Raab co-founded the conservativeAustrian People's Party (ÖVP), which denounced the dark legacy of the 1930s,[4] and assumed leadership of ÖVP parliamentary group after thelegislative elections held in November 1945. However, he represented the austrofascist forces of the past that were unacceptable to the Soviets,[5] and for a while was "relegated to the back seat".[4] From 1947, he expanded his influence through presidency in theAustrian Federal Economic Chamber, the institution tasked with managing social partnership of the government, the political parties, the entrepreneurs and the employees' trade unions. He clearly favored afree market and minimal government regulation of the economy.[3] On the other hand, Raab also held talks with former Austrian Nazi officials likeWilhelm Höttl andTaras Borodajkewycz on their support for ÖVP politics.
Raab succeeded Leopold Figl as ÖVP party chairman in 1951 and as Federal Chancellor in 1953. Despite clearly Western attitudes, Raab established excellent relations with post-Stalin Soviet Union. In February 1955Vyacheslav Molotov proposed resuming the talks on Austrian independence. On 12 April 1955 Raab, Foreign Minister Leopold Figl and State SecretaryBruno Kreisky arrived in Moscow for the negotiations that paved the way to theAustrian State Treaty concluded in Vienna on 15 May.[3] Austriadeclared neutrality, as did all individualBundesländer. The success of 1955 marked the peak of ÖVP influence, accompanied by a strong economic revival (Wirtschaftswunder) andfull employment. The party won 46% of the popular vote in the1956 elections, Raab retained his seat as Federal Chancellor. Despite criticism within the party, Raab strongly favored a tight coalition with the Social Democratic Party underAdolf Schärf. In 1957 he and trade union chiefJohann Bohm co-founded the Joint Commission on Wages and Prices, thesocial partnership institution that became a cornerstone of Austriancorporatism.[6]
In 1957 Raab suffered a lightstroke. By the end of the 1950s, his own career and his party's influence declined. In 1961 he passed ÖVP leadership toAlfons Gorbach, who also succeeded him as Federal Chancellor on 11 April. On 28 April 1963 Raab competed in thepresidential elections but lost to incumbent Adolf Schärf. His health rapidly deteriorated, and he died, aged 72, inVienna on 8 January 1964.[6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Leopold Figl | Chancellor of Austria 1953–1961 | Succeeded by: Alfons Gorbach |
