republic · Germany and Central Europe
First Austrian Republic
Origins
The Republic of German-Austria was renamed the Republic of Austria in October 1919 after the Treaty of Saint-Germain forbade union with Germany. The federal constitution of 1920, drafted with the help of Hans Kelsen, created a federal parliamentary republic; with Burgenland added in 1921 and Vienna separated from Lower Austria in 1922, it had nine states.
Rule and society
The republic was polarised between the Christian Social Party, strong in the countryside, and the Social Democrats of Red Vienna, who built large council housing estates. Each side had armed militias. Chancellor Ignaz Seipel stabilised the currency with a League of Nations loan in 1922. The burning of the Palace of Justice in 1927 and the Depression deepened the crisis.
Decline and legacy
In March 1933 Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss suspended parliament. After a brief civil war in February 1934 the Social Democrats were banned, and the May 1934 constitution created the authoritarian Federal State of Austria.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). First Austrian Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/first-austrian-republic
- MLA
- “First Austrian Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/first-austrian-republic. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “First Austrian Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/first-austrian-republic.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘First Austrian Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/first-austrian-republic (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻