Helmut Wohnout
Autore di Leopold Figl und das Jahr 1945
Opere di Helmut Wohnout
Opere correlate
Gaudeamus igitur : studentisches Leben einst und jetzt ; Schallaburg 1992 ; Ausstellungskatalog (1992) — Collaboratore — 1 copia
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- Opere
- 4
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- 1
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- 8
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- #1,038,911
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- ISBN
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As the book was written by a conservative party historian, it includes very little information about the dark chapter of Leopold Figl's life, namely his leading role in Austro-Fascism (that is only called "authoritarian regime" in the book). He was the Lower Austrian leader of the paramilitary organisation of "Ostmärkische Sturmscharen". While the Nazis were worse than the Austrian Fascists, they still mistreated and locked up their political opponents (such as the later Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky who was imprisoned together with many Autrian Nazis). When the Nazis came to power in Autria, Figl was immediately locked up and sent to a concentration camp where he had to endure years of maltreatment and punishment. His positive spirit helped many of his fellow inmates to survive that hell. Figl was first released by the Nazis for a time but then in 1944 seized again. In 1945, he was days, maybe hours away of being shot during the frantic last days of the defense of Vienna. He was lucky that the hardcore German Nazis fled and the low level Austrian prison wardens let the inmates go (not without Figl's intervention of procuring release papers for the prisoners to show to the Soviet army).
A priority of the Soviets was to prevent hunger in Vienna and Lower Austria. Figl as an energetic and powerful organizer of the farmers (Bauernbund) was crucial in setting up structures and supply lines. He could certainly rely on his Austro-Fascist connections. The Communists had never properly become an important part of Austrian politics (despite Lenin's and Stalin's stay in Vienna). The Socialists had been out of power and in exile for more than a decade. They first had to rebuild their organizations whereas the new conservative party ÖVP could reactivate many from the previous regime. Figl transformed this slim advantage into an election victory in a very early vote in November 1945 and became the first chancellor of the new and democratic (second) Austrian republic. Having been in Dachau and other concentration camps gave Figl the personal authority to deal with the Allies on a direct level. What surprised me, was how pragmatic the Soviet commanders were. It was much more difficult for Figl to get the British and the French to agree to sensible measures.
Overall, a good account of Figl's crucial activities from 1938 to 1945. A good companion book would be Ian Buruma's Year Zero showing how post WWII reconstruction took place all across the globe.… (altro)