Geography of South Dakota and Jörg Haider: Difference between pages

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[[Image:National-atlas-south-dakota.png|right|thumb|300px|Geographic and political features of [[South Dakota]]]]
{{Recent death|date=October 2008}}
[[South Dakota]] is a [[U.S. state|state]] located in the north-central [[United States]]. It is usually considered to be in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] region of the country. The state can generally be divided into three geographic regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills. Eastern South Dakota is lower in elevation and higher in precipitation than the western part of the state, and the Black Hills are a low, isolated mountain group in the southwestern corner of the state. South Dakota has a humid continental climate featuring four very distinct seasons, and the ecology of the state features plant and animal species typical of a North American [[temperate grassland]] [[biome]]. A number of areas under the protection of the federal or state government, such as [[Badlands National Park]], [[Wind Cave National Park]], and [[Custer State Park]], are located in the state. South Dakota is the 17th-largest state in the country.
{{Infobox Officeholder
|name = Jörg Haider
|image = JoergHaider Sep07.JPG
|imagesize =
|smallimage =
|caption =
|order = [[Carinthia (state)|Governor of Carinthia]]
|term_start = 1999
|term_end = 2008
|predecessor = [[Christoph Zernatto]]
|successor =
|term_start2 = 1989
|term_end2 = 1991
|predecessor2 = [[Peter Ambrozy]]
|successor2 = [[Christoph Zernatto]]
|birth_date = [[26 January]] [[1950]]
|birth_place = [[Bad Goisern]], Austria
|death_date = [[11 October]] [[2008]] (aged 58)
|death_place = [[Köttmannsdorf]], Austria
|constituency =
|party = [[Freedom Party of Austria|FPÖ]], [[Alliance for the Future of Austria|BZÖ]]
|spouse = <!--2 ...name/names?-->
|children =
|profession = Law
|education = [[law degree|Dr. iur. (law degree)]]
|religion =
|signature =
|footnotes =
}}


'''Jörg Haider''' (26 January 1950 – 11 October 2008)<ref>http://news.orf.at/?href=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.orf.at%2Fticker%2F304770.html</ref> was an Austrian politician. He was [[Landeshauptmann|Governor]] of [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] and Chairman of the "[[Alliance for the Future of Austria]]" (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ).
==Location and size==
[[Image:Map of USA SD.svg|right|thumb|Location of South Dakota in the United States]]
South Dakota is situated in the north-central United States, and is usually considered to be a part of the [[Midwest]], although the [[Great Plains]] region also covers the state. Additionally, South Dakota is at times considered to be a part of the [[western United States|West]]. The state has a total land area of 77,116 sq. miles (199,905 km²), making it the [[List of U.S. states by area|17<sup>th</sup> largest]] in the Union.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108355.html| title =Land and Water Area of States (2000)| publisher =www.infoplease.com| accessdate = 2007-09-03 }}</ref> South Dakota is bordered to the north by [[North Dakota]]; to the south by [[Nebraska]]; to the east by [[Iowa]] and [[Minnesota]]; and to the west by [[Wyoming]] and [[Montana]].


Haider was a long-time leader of the [[Austrian Freedom Party]] (FPÖ). When he stepped down as the FPÖ's chairman in 2000, he remained its major figure until 2005, when he founded the BZÖ in April. He was subsequently expelled from the FPÖ by its interim leader [[Hilmar Kabas]].
Two [[Time zone|time zones]] cover South Dakota; the state is split roughly in half between the [[Central Time Zone]] ([[UTC-6]]) in the east and the [[Mountain Time Zone]] ([[UTC-7]]) in the west.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://nist.time.gov/images/US_time_zones.gif| title =North American Time Zones | publisher =National Institute of Standards and Technology | accessdate = 2008-09-30 }}</ref> The boundary between the two zones runs south down the Missouri River until [[Pierre, South Dakota|Pierre]], at which point the boundary roughly continues due south while the river turns southeast.


==Regions==
== Early life ==
[[Image:South Dakota Relief 1.jpg|left|thumb|200px|South Dakota Terrain]]
South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the [[Black Hills]].<ref name=SDRegions>{{cite web | title = South Dakota's Physiographic Regions | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Physio1.htm}}</ref> The Missouri River serves as a somewhat stark boundary in terms of geographic, social and political differences between the two regions, and the geography of the Black Hills differs from its surroundings to such an extent that it can be considered separate from the rest of western South Dakota. South Dakotans also at times combine the Black Hills with the rest of western South Dakota, and refer to the two resulting regions, divided by the Missouri, as [[West River (South Dakota)|West River]] and East River.<ref>Hasselstrom, Linda: ''Roadside History of South Dakota'', pages 2-4. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1994</ref><ref>Johnson, Dirk. ''Gold Divides Dakotans as River Did'' [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DF1539F93AA35753C1A96E948260] The New York Times. 9 October 1988. (accessed 14 February, 2008)</ref>


===Haider's parents===
Eastern South Dakota is generally wetter and features lower topography than the western part of the state. Smaller geographic regions of this area include the [[Coteau des Prairies]], the [[Dissected Till Plains]], and the James River Valley. The Coteau des Prairies is a higher region bordered on the east by the [[Minnesota River]] Valley and on the west by the James River Basin.<ref name=SDRegions/> Numerous glacial lakes cover the Coteau, and it is largely drained by the [[Big Sioux River]], a tributary of the Missouri. Further to the west, the James River Basin is mostly low, flat, highly eroded land, following the flow of the [[James River (Dakotas)|James River]] through South Dakota from north to south. The Dissected Till Plains, an area of rolling hills and fertile soil that covers much of Iowa and Nebraska, also extends into the southeastern corner of South Dakota.
Haider's parents had been [[Nazism|Nazis]] and early [[NSDAP]] party members. They were from different backgrounds; Haider's father, Robert Haider, was a shoemaker, while his mother, Dorothea Rupp, was the daughter of a wealthy, noted, medical doctor and head of the general hospital of [[Linz]].<ref name="WienerZeitung">{{cite web |url=http://www.wienerzeitung.at/linkmap/personen/haider.htm |title=Jörg Haider Biographie |first= |name= |work=Wiener Zeitung |accessdate=2008-05-05 |coauthors= |format= |year= |month= |pages= |date=2004-09-10 |language=German |publisher= |quote=Seine Eltern, die 1945 heirateten, kamen aus unterschiedlichen Bildungsschichten. Der Vater war Schuhmacher, die Mutter, eine geborene Rupp, die Tochter eines Gynäkologen und Primararztes am Linzer Allgemeinen Krankenhaus.}}</ref>


Robert Haider joined the NSDAP in 1929 as a fifteen year-old boy, four years before [[Adolf Hitler]] came to power in Germany. He remained a member even after the [[Austrian National Socialism|Austrian Nazi Party]] was banned in Austria and after [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] had dissolved the Austrian parliament and established a ''[[Austrofascism|Ständestaat]]'', a [[Fascism|fascist]] [[dictatorship]]. In 1933, Haider senior moved to [[Bavaria]] but returned to Austria the following year after the failed Nazi attempt to overthrow the Austrian government. He was arrested and chose to move back to Germany where he joined the Austrian Legion, a division of the ''[[Sturmabteilung]]''.<ref name="Peri2001">{{cite web |url=http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/acta18.htm |title=Jörg Haider's Antisemitism |first=Anat |name=Peri |work=Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism |accessdate=2008-05-05 |coauthors= |format= |year=2001 |month= |pages= |date= |language= |publisher=[[Hebrew University]] |quote=}}</ref>
[[Image:View from the top of Harney Peak.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Black Hills]] are a group of low mountains in the southwestern part of the state.]]
The [[Great Plains]] cover most of the western two-thirds of South Dakota. The [[Coteau du Missouri]] lies between the James River Basin of the Drift Prairie and the Missouri River. This region is the southern section of a large plateau extending into Canada.<ref name=SDRegions/> West of the Missouri River the landscape becomes more rugged and consists of rolling hills, plains, ravines, and steep flat-topped hills called [[butte]]s. These buttes sometimes rise 400 to 600 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]] (120 to 180&nbsp;[[metre|m]]) above the plains. In the south, east of the Black Hills, lie the South Dakota [[Badlands National Park|Badlands]].


Haider senior completed a two-year military service in Germany and returned to Austria in 1938 after it was [[Annexation|annexed]] by Nazi Germany (the ''[[Anschluss]]''). From 1940, he fought as a junior officer on the Western and Eastern Fronts in Europe during the [[Second World War]]. Having been wounded several times, he was discharged from the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' with the rank of lieutenant. In 1945, he married Dorothea Rupp, at that time as a leader in the ''[[Bund Deutscher Mädel]]'' (''BDM'').
The Black Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and extend into Wyoming. This range of low mountains covers 6,000 [[square mile]]s (15,500&nbsp;[[square kilometre|km².]]) with mountains that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200&nbsp;m) above their bases. The highest point in South Dakota, [[Harney Peak]] (7,242&nbsp;ft or 2,207&nbsp;m above sea level), is in the Black Hills.<ref>{{cite web| date =[[29 April]] [[2005]] | url =http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest| title =Elevations and Distances in the United States| publisher =U.S Geological Survey| accessmonthday = November 7 | accessyear = 2006}}</ref> This is the highest point in the United States east of the [[Rocky Mountains]].<ref name=USGSElevations>{{cite web | title = Elevations and Distances in the United States - Elevations of Selected Summits East of the Rocky Mountains | publisher = United States Geological Survey | accessdate = 2007-12-01 | url = http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html}}</ref> Other Black Hills mountains that are over 7,000 ft (2,133 m) in elevation include Bear Mountain, Crooks Tower, Terry Peak, and Crows Nest Peak.<ref name=USGSElevations/> The Black Hills are rich in minerals such as [[gold]], [[silver]], [[copper]], and [[lead]]. The [[Homestake Mine (South Dakota)|Homestake Mine]], the largest and deepest gold mine in North America, is located in the Black Hills and has produced over $1 billion in gold since it started operation in 1876.<ref>Yarrow, Andrew L. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDC1731F93AA3575BC0A961948260&scp=1&sq=%22homestake+mine%22+largest+deepest "Beneath South Dakota's Black Hills"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[August 9]], [[1987]]. Accessed [[January 11]], [[2008]]. "The Homestake Mine, in Lead, has operated continuously since 1876, a year before George Hearst purchased the claim for $77,000. Homestake, which is the largest, deepest and most productive gold mine in North America, has yielded more than $1 billion in gold over the years."</ref>


Following the end of the war, legal proceedings against both Haider's parents were conducted to determine what measures should be taken against them because of their NSDAP membership (proceedings against all former Nazis{{ndash}} NSDAP members and collaborators{{ndash}} were undertaken as a matter of law in both Austria and Germany after the war ended).<ref name=Peri2001/> They were labelled as "''Minderbelastet''" (meaning only low-ranking in the NSDAP structure), and Robert Haider was forced to work in a shoe factory. Dorothea Haider, who had been a teacher, was prohibited from working for a couple of years following the end of the war.<ref name=WienerZeitung/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/464260.stm |title=Profile: Controversy and Joerg Haider |first= |name= |work= |accessdate=2008-05-05 |coauthors= |format= |year= |month= |pages= |date=2000-02-29 |language= |publisher=[[BBC News]] |quote=After the war they were punished for their affiliations and forced to take up menial work.}}</ref>
==Geology==
South Dakota geologic formations and deposits range in age from several billion to several thousand years, and the age of the rocks generally decreases as one moves from west to east across the state. The oldest geologic formations in the state were created over two billion years ago during the [[Precambrian]], and consist of metamorphic and igneous rocks.<ref name=NSUgeology>{{cite web | title = The Geology of South Dakota | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Geolog1.htm}}</ref><ref name=Precambrian>{{cite web | title = Precambrian Formations | publisher = South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/precambrian.html}}</ref> These form the central core of the Black Hills, but they can also be found in two isolated locations in eastern South Dakota near [[Milbank, South Dakota|Milbank]] and [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota|Sioux Falls]].<ref name=NSUgeology/> Formations from the [[Paleozoic Era]] form the outer ring of the Black Hills; these were created between roughly 540 and 250 million years ago. This area features rocks such as [[limestone]] which were deposited here when the area formed the shoreline of an ancient inland sea.<ref name=paleozoic>{{cite web | title = Paleozoic Formations | publisher = South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/paleozoic.html}}</ref>


===Haider's youth===
[[Image:Badlands national park 07 26 2005 1.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Various [[sedimentary rock]] [[Stratum|strata]] are visible in many areas of [[Badlands National Park]].]]
[[Image:University of vienna.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Jörg Haider graduated from the [[University of Vienna]] in 1973, receiving a law degree.]]
Outside of the Black Hills, much of western South Dakota features rock formed during the [[Mesozoic Era]], from 250 million to 65 million years ago. During this period, much of western and central South Dakota was again covered by a shallow inland sea.<ref name=NSUgeology/> Marine skeletons from this ocean settled to the seafloor and were compacted to form the sedimentary rocks in the area today. During this period, the Black Hills, which had been pushed up to an elevation of around 15,000 feet (4,500 m), lost around 6,000 feet (1,800 m) worth of rock layers due to erosion. Many of these sediments ended up in the same area as the marine deposits from the inland sea, and both contribute to western South Dakota's present-day geological makeup.<ref name=mesozoic>{{cite web | title = Mesozoic Formations | publisher = South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/mesozoic.html}}</ref> In several areas in western South Dakota, tertiary deposits may also be found.<ref name=tertiary>{{cite web | title = Tertiary Formations | publisher = South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/tertiary.html}}</ref> These were formed between 65 and 2.5 million years ago from eroded mountains to the west. There is also volcanic material deposited here that presumably came from the Yellowstone area. These layers of sedimentary rock are distinctly visible in the multi-colored rocks and cliffs of Badlands National Park.<ref name=NSUgeology/>


Jörg Haider was born in the [[Upper Austria]]n town of [[Bad Goisern]] in 1950, a time when his parents' finances were rather moderate, and his elder sister, later [[Ursula Haubner]], five years old. He was a good student in primary school and attended high school in [[Bad Ischl]] despite his parents' financial situation. Haider was reportedly always top of his class in high school (see [http://www.smoc.net/haiderwatch/bioen.html]). During his time in [[Bad Ischl]] he had first contacts with nationalist organizations, such as the ''[[Burschenschaft]] Albia'', a right-wing student group.
Layers deposited during the [[Pleistocene]] epoch, starting around two million years ago, cover most of eastern South Dakota.<ref name=NSUgeology/> These are the youngest rock and sediment layers in the state, and are the product of several successive periods of [[glacier|glaciation]] which deposited a large amount of rocks and soil, known as [[till]], over the area.<ref name=pleistocene>{{cite web | title = Pleistocene Deposits | publisher = South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/pleistocene.html}}</ref> The thickness of the glacial till layer ranges between 100 and 900 feet (30 and 270 m).<ref name=NSUgeology/>


After he graduated with highest distinction in 1968, he moved to Vienna to study law. During his studies he was affiliated again with a [[Burschenschaft]] such as ''[[Silvania]]''. After graduating from the [[University of Vienna]] with the title of [[law degree|Dr. iur.]] in 1973 he was drafted into the Austrian Army where he voluntarily spent more than the mandatory nine months (called 'the voluntary one year'). In 1974 he started to work at the [[University of Vienna]] law faculty in the department of constitutional law.
Much of the human history of South Dakota was shaped by its geology. Gold seekers founded most of the larger cities around the Black Hills, and quarrying was an important economic activity in several areas in eastern South Dakota. Mines and quarries in present-day South Dakota produce gold,<ref>{{cite web | title = Gold Production By State | publisher = National Mining Association | accessdate = 2007-08-29 | url = http://www.nma.org/pdf/g_production.pdf}}</ref> [[Sioux quartzite]], [[Milbank granite]], sand, gravel, limestone, [[mica]], and [[uranium]].<ref name=NSUgeology/> The state also produces a very limited amount of [[oil]] and [[natural gas]].<ref name=SDenergy>{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = Energy Information Administration | accessdate = 2007-08-29 | url = http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=SD}}</ref>


===Haider's rise to power in the FPÖ===
==Rivers and lakes==
The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) was founded in 1955, and initially was a mixture of various political currents opposed both to the political catholicism of the [[Austrian People's Party]] and the [[social democracy|socialist]] views of the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria]]. With its roots in the [[Pan-German]] movement, it included both German-[[nationalist]] and [[Liberalism|liberal]] political views. In 1970 Haider became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement and headed it until 1974. Haider rose rapidly through the party ranks. In 1972, at the age of 22, he was already a well-established leader and was made party affairs manager of the Carinthian FPÖ in 1976. In 1979 he was the youngest delegate among the 183 members of parliament, at age 29. From 1983 his policies became more aggressive, when he rose to party head of the Carinthian FPÖ and started to criticise the leaders of the FPÖ, which at that time was still a minor political movement in Austria, usually winning only about 5–6% of the vote (see [http://www.smoc.net/haiderwatch/bio.html]).
[[Image:Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Fort Randall Dam]] is one of four large dams on the [[Missouri River]] in South Dakota.]]
The [[Missouri River]] is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the [[Cheyenne River|Cheyenne]], the [[James River (Dakotas)|James]], the [[Big Sioux River|Big Sioux]], and the [[White River (South Dakota)|White]]. Essentially all of South Dakota's rivers are part of the [[Missouri River Valley]]. [[Dam]]s on the Missouri River create four large [[reservoir]]s: [[Oahe Dam|Lake Oahe]], Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, and [[Lewis and Clark Lake]]. [[Hydroelectricity]] generated from power plants at the dams provides approximately half of the electricity used by South Dakotans.<ref name=SDenergy/>


The decisive point of his career came in 1986 when he defeated Austrian [[Vice Chancellor of Austria|Vice Chancellor]] [[Norbert Steger]] in the vote for party leadership at the party convention in September in [[Innsbruck]]; many delegates feared that Steger's liberal political views and his coalition with the Social Democrats threatened the party's existence.
The vast majority of South Dakota's natural lakes are located in the eastern half of the state, and most are the product of the most recent ice age.<ref>{{cite web | title = Glacial Features (Large) | publisher = South Dakota State University | accessdate = 2008-02-19 | url = http://plantsci.sdstate.edu/woodardh/geology/Eastern/Glacial_Features_Large/glacial_features_large.htm}}</ref> The title of largest natural lake is somewhat disputed; Lake Thompson is larger than [[Lake Poinsett (South Dakota)|Lake Poinsett]], but Lake Poinsett has maintained its current size for a much longer period of time.<ref>{{cite web | title = Eastern South Dakota Wetlands | publisher = United States Geological Survey | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | url = http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wetlands/eastwet/overview.htm}}</ref> Other major natural lakes include Lake Kampeska, Waubay Lake, Lake Madison, Lake Whitewood, and Lake Herman. Additionally, two large lakes, [[Big Stone Lake]] and [[Lake Traverse]], form part of the border between South Dakota and Minnesota. The [[continental divide]] separating the [[drainage basin]] of [[Hudson Bay]] from that of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] is situated between these two lakes.<ref>{{cite web | title = Geographical Features and Fossils | publisher = South Dakota State University | accessdate = 2008-02-19 | url = http://plantsci.sdstate.edu/woodardh/geology/Eastern/Geographical_Features_%20Fossils/geographical_features_fossils.htm}}</ref>


== Carinthia ==
{{Seealso|List of rivers in South Dakota|List of lakes in South Dakota}}
[[Image:Austria ktn.svg|right|thumb|300px|Carinthia is a state in the South of Austria.]]


==Ecology==
===Bärental===
Throughout his career Haider had concentrated his politics on Carinthia. In addition, Haider's personal life was heavily connected with this part of Austria: Haider became wealthy when he inherited the estate of his uncle Wilhelm Webhofer in 1983, who had owned a large parcel of land in Carinthia commonly known as 'Bärental' (bear valley). This estate has a history that came up in the 1990s in the [[Media in Austria|Austrian media]]. The land had been owned by an Italian Jew until 1941. At that point in time the Nazis still hesitated to take possession of "[[Jewish property]]" owned by non-German nationals without any compensation. Thus when the estate was "sold" in 1941, Haider's great-uncle Josef Webhofer (a resident of [[Province of Bolzano-Bozen|Bolzano-Bozen]], Italy) paid 300,000 [[German reichsmark|Reichsmark]] (about 1.5 million dollars today) to obtain title to the land. After the war Mathilde Ruifer, the widow of the former Jewish owner of Bärental demanded compensation and was paid an additional 850,000 schilling (around 400,000 dollars today). In 1955 Josef Webhofer's son Wilhelm Webhofer inherited the estate and later bequested it to Jörg Haider. Today the land is estimated to be worth about fifteen million dollars (see [http://projects.brg-schoren.ac.at/Nationalsozialismus/arisierungen.html]).
[[Image:Pronghorn Wind Cave NP.jpg|thumb|right|160px|A [[pronghorn]] in [[Wind Cave National Park]]]]
Much of South Dakota, with the notable exception of the [[Black Hills]], is dominated by a temperate [[grasslands]] [[biome]].<ref>{{cite web | title = A Short Introduction to Terrestrial Biomes | publisher = www.nearctica.com | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.nearctica.com/ecology/habitats/biointro.htm}}</ref> Although grasses and crops cover most of this region, [[deciduous]] trees such as [[cottonwood]]s, [[elm]]s, and [[willow]]s are common near rivers and in [[shelter belt]]s.<ref name=SDFlora>{{cite web | title = South Dakota Flora | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/flora1.htm}}</ref> In open, uncultivated areas of the plains, grasses such as [[buffalograss]], [[Western Wheatgrass|western wheatgrass]], [[switchgrass]], [[big bluestem]] and [[little bluestem]] thrive.<ref name=SDFlora/>
[[Mammals]] in this area include [[American bison|bison]], [[deer]], [[pronghorn]], [[coyotes]], [[beavers]], and [[prairie dog]]s, while [[reptiles]] include the [[snapping turtle]], the [[box turtle]], and various types of snakes.<ref name=SDFauna>{{cite web | title = South Dakota Fauna | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/fauna1.htm}}</ref> The [[Crotalus viridis|prairie rattlesnake]] is South Dakota's only [[venom]]ous snake.<ref>{{cite web | title = Prairie Rattlesnake | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/REPTILES/Prairi1.htm}}</ref> Rivers and lakes of the grasslands support populations of [[walleye]], [[carp]], [[Pike (fish)|pike]], and [[bass (fish)|bass]], along with other species.<ref name=SDFauna/> The Missouri River also contains the pre-historic [[American paddlefish|paddlefish]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Paddlefish | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/ENDANG1/Paddle1.htm}}</ref> and [[chinook salmon]], native the the [[Pacific Northwest]], have been successfully introduced in [[Lake Oahe]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Chinook Salmon | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/FISH/Chinoo1.htm}}</ref>


===Political struggle in Carinthia===
Due to higher elevation and precipitation, the ecology of the Black Hills differs significantly from that of the plains. The mountains are thickly blanketed by various types of [[pine]], mostly of the [[ponderosa pine|ponderosa]] and [[spruce]] varieties.<ref>{{cite web | title = Pines of South Dakota | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Pineso1.htm}}</ref> Black Hills mammals include [[mule deer]], [[elk|elk (wapiti)]], [[bighorn sheep]], [[mountain goat]]s, and [[Cougar|mountain lions]], while the streams and lakes contain several species of [[trout]].<ref name=SDFauna/><ref>{{cite web | title = Mountain Goat | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/hunting/BigGame/MtGoat.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = General Facts About Mountain Lions | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/MountainLions/Facts.htm}}</ref>
Until 1989, the socialist/Social-Democratic party SPÖ held an absolute majority in the Austrian province of Carinthia; when it received less than 50% of seats in 1989, ÖVP and FPÖ formed a coalition and elected Haider as ''[[Landeshauptmann]]'' (or governor) of Carinthia.


In 1991, in a debate in the regional parliament, a speaker attacked Haider's plan of reducing unemployment payments for people seen as "freeloaders", calling it forced work placement reminiscent of Nazi policies. Haider replied, "It would not be like the Third Reich, because the Third Reich developed a proper employment policy, which your government in Vienna has not once produced." The remark caused an uproar, Haider had to resign his governor post, and the FPÖ-ÖVP coalition was replaced by an SPÖ-ÖVP coalition.
South Dakota's varied geography is inhabited by many species of birds. The state bird, the [[common pheasant|ring-necked pheasant]], has adapted particularly well to the area after being introduced from [[China]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Ring-Necked Pheasant | publisher = Northern State University | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | url = http://www.northern.edu/natsource/BIRDS/Ringne1.htm}}</ref> and growing populations of [[bald eagle]]s are spread throughout the state, especially near the Missouri River.<ref>Hetland, Cara. ''South Dakota bald eagles make a comeback'' [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/07/sdeaglesuccess/] Minnesota Public Radio. 8 February 2007. (accessed 22 September, 2007)</ref> The [[wild turkey]] is another large bird found in many areas of the state.<ref>{{cite web | title = All about Wild Turkeys | publisher = National Wild Turkey Federation | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | url = http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/}}</ref> The numerous lakes and wetlands of eastern South Dakota support migratory populations of [[Canada goose|Canada geese]], [[Snow goose|snow geese]], [[mallard]]s, [[pelican]]s, and [[wood duck]]s.<ref name=SDFauna/> The prairie serves as home to songbirds such as meadowlarks (both the [[Eastern Meadowlark|eastern]] and [[Western Meadowlark|western]] varieties), [[American Goldfinch|goldfinches]], and [[bluebird]]s, and the open landscape of the plains also suits many [[Carnivore|carnivorous]] birds, such as [[hawk]]s, [[falcon]]s, and [[owl]]s.<ref name=SDFauna/>


In 1999, Haider again was elected governor of Carinthia by the Carinthian parliament, where the FPÖ now held a plurality of more than 42%. Even after the [[FPÖ]] fell to only 10% from 27% in the national elections in 2002, Haider's support in Carinthia did not diminish and he succeeded in the 2004 elections receiving a slightly higher percentage (42.5%) than in 1999.
==Climate==
[[Image:Shelf cloud.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A [[shelf cloud]] over [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]] on August 8, 2002.]]
South Dakota has a [[continental climate]] with four distinct seasons, ranging from very cold winters to hot summers. During the summers, the average high temperature throughout the state is often close to 90&nbsp;°F (32&nbsp;°C), although it generally cools down to near 60&nbsp;°F (15&nbsp;°C) at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature climbing above 100&nbsp;°F (38&nbsp;°C) for the high temperature several times every year. Winters are cold with January high temperatures averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging below 10&nbsp;°F (- 12&nbsp;°C) in most of the state. The record highest temperature recorded in the state was 120&nbsp;°F (49&nbsp;°C) on July 5, 1936 in [[Gann Valley, South Dakota|Gann Valley]], and the lowest was - 58&nbsp;°F (- 50&nbsp;°C) on February 17, 1936 in [[McIntosh, South Dakota|McIntosh]].<ref name=NCDC>{{cite web | url = http://www5.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim60/states/Clim_SD_01.pdf | title = Climate of South Dakota | publisher = National Climatic Data Center | accessdate = 2008-08-24|format=PDF}}</ref>


== FPÖ chairman ==
The average annual precipitation of the state ranges from semi-arid in the northwestern part of the state (around 15 inches, or 381 mm) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of the state (around 25 inches, or 635 mm),<ref name=NCDC/> although a small area centered around [[Lead, South Dakota|Lead]] in the Black Hills has the highest precipitation at nearly 30 inches (762 mm) per year.<ref>{{cite web | title = Precipitation Normals (1971-2000) | publisher = South Dakota State University | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | url = http://climate.sdstate.edu/archives/data/pptnormals.shtm}}</ref>


===Haider as opposition leader===
South Dakota summers bring frequent [[thunderstorms]] which can be severe with high winds, thunder, and hail. The eastern part of the state is often considered part of [[tornado alley]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Tornado Climatology | publisher = National Climatic Data Center | accessdate = 2008-01-01 | url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html}}</ref> and South Dakota experiences an average of 23 tornadoes per year.<ref name=NCDC/> Winters are somewhat more stable, although severe weather in the form of [[blizzard]]s and [[ice storm]]s can occur during the season. Severe weather in the state can occasionally turn deadly. Between 1950 and 1994, 11 people were killed by tornadoes in the state,<ref>{{cite web | title = Tornado Numbers, Deaths, Injuries, and Adjusted Damage 1950 - 1994 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://www.spc.noaa.gov/archive/tornadoes/st-trank.html}}</ref> and on the night of June 9, 1972, a flash flood tore through central Rapid City, killing 238 people and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.<ref>{{cite web | title = The 1972 Black Hills-Rapid City Flood Revisited | publisher = United States Geological Survey | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://sd.water.usgs.gov/projects/1972flood/}}</ref>
Under Haider's leadership, the FPÖ moved to the [[far right]], reflecting Haider's [[nationalist]], [[anti-immigration]], and [[Euroscepticism|anti-EU]] views. Haider relied primarily on populism (see below) to advance his interests. From 1986 when Haider became the FPÖ's chairman the party's share in elections rose from 5% in the [[Austria legislative election, 1986|1986 elections]] to almost 27% in [[Austria legislative election, 1999|1999]].


With Haider practically leading the FPÖ single-handedly, he was able to unite the scattered, divided extreme-right in Austria and establish a party that was not so much founded on leading personalities or an ideology but on just one leader - Haider himself, who used to change his opinions frequently. His style of governing the party became authoritative in the following years, however his followers did not challenge his ultimate authority in the party, especially because Haider was able to gain one victory after another in elections (see [http://www.doew.at/information/mitarbeiter/beitraege/fpoeenglbn.html]).
<br clear="all">
{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various South Dakota Cities
|-
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color: #000000" height="17" | City
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jan
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Feb
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Mar
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Apr
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | May
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jun
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jul
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Aug
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Sep
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Oct
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Nov
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Dec
|-
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | [[Aberdeen, South Dakota|Aberdeen]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Monthly Averages for Aberdeen, SD | publisher = www.weather.com | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url =http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USSD0001?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 21/1
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 29/9
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 40/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 57/33
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 70/46
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 79/55
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 85/60
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 84/57
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 73/47
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 59/34
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 39/20
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 26/6
|-
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | [[Huron, South Dakota|Huron]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Monthly Averages for Huron, SD | publisher = www.weather.com | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url =http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USSD0164?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 25/4
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 31/11
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 43/22
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 58/34
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 70/46
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 80/55
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 86/61
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 84/59
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 75/47
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 61/35
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 41/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 29/8
|-
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Monthly Averages for Rapid City, SD | publisher = www.weather.com | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url = http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USSD0283?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 34/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 38/14
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 45/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 55/31
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 65/42
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 75/52
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 83/58
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 82/55
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 73/45
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 61/34
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 44/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 37/13
|-
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota|Sioux Falls]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Monthly Averages for Sioux Falls, SD | publisher = www.weather.com | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url = http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USSD0315?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 25/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 32/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 44/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 59/33
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 71/45
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 81/55
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 86/60
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 83/58
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 74/48
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 61/35
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 42/21
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 29/8
|-
|}


An exception was the split off by the [[Liberal Forum]] in the mid-1990s headed by Heide Schmidt, a long-time political supporter of Haider and the FPÖ's candidate for presidency in 1992. The liberals initially gained the support of about 6% of the voters nationwide, but Schmidt was not able to uphold this support and the Liberal Forum subsequently dropped out of parliament in 1999.
==Protected areas==
[[Image:Mount Rushmore National Memorial.jpg|left|thumb|180px|[[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]] in the Black Hills]]
South Dakota contains several sites that are protected by the [[National Park Service]].
Two [[national parks]] have been established in South Dakota, both of which are located in the southwestern part of the state. [[Badlands National Park]] was created in 1978.<ref>{{cite web | title = Frequenly Asked Questions (Badlands National Park) | publisher = National Park Service | accessdate = 2007-08-27 | url = http://www.nps.gov/badl/faqs.htm}}</ref> The park features a highly eroded, brightly-colored landscape surrounded by [[semi-arid]] grasslands.<ref>{{cite web | title = Badlands | publisher = National Park Service | accessdate = 2007-08-27 | url = http://www.nps.gov/badl}}</ref> [[Wind Cave National Park]], established in 1903 in the Black Hills, contains an extensive cave network as well as a large herd of [[American Bison|bison]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Wind Cave History | publisher = National Park Service | accessdate = 2007-08-28 | url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/Wind_Cave_History.htm}}</ref> [[Mount Rushmore]] National Memorial in the Black Hills was established in 1925. The well-known attraction features a mountain carved by [[sculptor]] [[Gutzon Borglum]] to resemble four former U.S. presidents.<ref>{{cite web | title = Carving History | publisher = National Park Service | accessdate = 2007-08-27 | url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/carving_history.htm}}</ref> Other areas managed by the National Park Service include [[Jewel Cave National Monument]] near [[Custer, South Dakota|Custer]], the [[Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail]], the [[Minuteman Missile National Historic Site]], which features a decommissioned [[nuclear missile silo]], and the [[Missouri National Recreational River]].<ref>{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = National Park Service | accessdate = 2007-08-28 | url = http://www.nps.gov/state/sd}}</ref> In addition to the National Park Service, the [[United States Forest Service]] manages several areas in the state. South Dakota contains two national forests, [[Black Hills National Forest]] and a small section of [[Custer National Forest]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Custer National Forest | publisher = United States Forest Service | accessdate = 2008-08-23 | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/custer/}}</ref> and three national grasslands: [[Buffalo Gap National Grassland|Buffalo Gap]], [[Dakota Prairie Grasslands|Dakota Prairie]], and [[Fort Pierre National Grassland|Fort Pierre]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Find a Forest by State (South Dakota) | publisher = United States Forest Service | accessdate = 2008-08-23 | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml#SouthDakota}}</ref>


The party's mixture of populism, anti-establishment and nationalist themes steadily gained support over the years. In addition to far-right voters, the FPÖ was able to attract protest voters from both the Social Democrats and the Conservatives in both the national and regional elections of the 1990s. Along with those who were fed up with decades of government by the 'Great Coalition' (see also: [[Proporz]]), Haider always had the unconditional backing of the core far-right voters due to the lack of any more outspoken far-right parties (which are forbidden under anti-Nazi laws).
South Dakota also contains numerous state parks, all of which are managed by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks. [[Custer State Park]] in the Black Hills is the second-largest state park in the nation, and includes [[Sylvan Lake (South Dakota)|Sylvan Lake]], [[Needles Highway]], and a wildlife loop featuring a large bison herd and the "[[Begging Burros|begging burros]]", among other species.<ref>{{cite web | title = Custer State Park | publisher = South Dakota Department of Tourism | accessdate = 2008-08-28 | url = http://www.travelsd.com/placestogo/custerstatepark.asp}}</ref> Other notable parks in the state include [[Bear Butte State Park]] near [[Sturgis, South Dakota|Sturgis]] and Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area near [[Yankton, South Dakota|Yankton]].


===Coalition government with [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]'s [[ÖVP|People's party]]===
==Human geography==
In 2000, Haider's Freedom Party and the People's Party joined to form a coalition government. This caused widespread outrage both in Austria and the rest of Europe. The heads of government of the other fourteen EU members decided to cease cooperation with the Austrian government, as it was felt in many countries that the [[cordon sanitaire]] against coalitions with parties considered as right-wing extremists, which had mostly held in Western Europe since 1945, had been breached. For several months, other national leaders refused to shake hands and socialize with members of the Schüssel government. This was described as "sanctions" by representatives of the [[ÖVP]] and [[FPÖ]], and supporters of the government often blamed social democrats and President [[Thomas Klestil]] for them, and questioned their loyalty to the country.
[[Image:South Dakota population map.png|thumb|right|South Dakota Population Density Map]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], as of 2005, South Dakota has an estimated population of 775,933. As of the 2000 census, the state had the fifth-lowest population density in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = Population Density by State: 2000 | publisher = Northeast-Midwest Institute | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url = http://www.nemw.org/popdensity.htm}}</ref>
The [[center of population]] of South Dakota is located in [[Buffalo County, South Dakota|Buffalo County]], in the unincorporated county seat of [[Gannvalley, South Dakota|Gannvalley]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Population and Population Centers by State - 2000 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2007-08-18 | url = http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt}}</ref>


The EU leaders soon saw that their measures were counterproductive and returned to normality during the summer of 2000, even though the coalition remained unchanged. (See [[Austria legislative election, 1999]].) Nevertheless it is not easy to measure effects of these "sanctions".
The five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota are: [[German-American|German]] (40.7%), [[Norwegian-American|Norwegian]] (15.3%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (10.4%), [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]] (8.3%), and [[British-American|English]] (7.1%).<ref>{{cite web | title = Quick Tables | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-08-29 | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US46}}</ref> German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, although there are also large Scandinavian populations in some counties. American Indians, largely Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota (Sioux) are predominant in several counties, mostly in the western part of the state. South Dakota has the third-highest proportion of Native Americans of any state.<ref>{{cite web | title = States Ranked by American Indian and Alaska Native Population, July 1, 1999 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-08-08 | url = http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/rank/aiea.txt}}</ref>


At the end of 2000, Jörg Haider stepped down from the leadership of the Freedom Party. This was widely regarded as a cynical move to appease foreign criticism, as he appeared to continue to control the party from behind the scenes, with [[Susanne Riess-Passer]] who was the following party chairwoman being only pro-forma in charge. Haider proclaimed that his move was just the fulfillment of his promise to Carinthian FPÖ voters he gave prior to the election that had been held in the same year.(see[http://www.guardian.co.uk/austria/article/0,2763,191346,00.html])
Rural areas in South Dakota are experiencing a trend of falling populations, despite an overall increase in population. The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area and the Black Hills have gained population. In fact, [[Lincoln County, South Dakota|Lincoln County]], near Sioux Falls, is the ninth-fastest growing county (by percentage) in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = 100 Fastest Growing Counties | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2007-04-10 | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2004-09.html}}</ref> The growth in these areas has compensated for losses in the rest of the state, and South Dakota's total population continues to increase steadily, albeit at a slower rate than the national average.<ref>{{cite web | title = State and County Quickfacts (South Dakota) | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2007-04-10 | url = http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/46000.html}}</ref>


== Collapse of the (first) coalition and decline of the Freedom Party ==
===Cities and counties===
{{seealso|List of cities in South Dakota|List of South Dakota counties}}


In September 2002, after a special party convention ("Sonderparteitag") in [[Knittelfeld]] ([[Styria (state)|Styria]]), the so-called [[Knittelfeld Putsch]], [[Susanne Riess-Passer|Riess-Passer]] lost the support of many party members. This meeting is also sometimes considered as a rebellion against the members which are currently involved in the government, which was thought to be started or at least supported by Haider. Thus Riess-Passer resigned as Vice Federal Chancellor and Party Chairwoman and with her went Karl-Heinz Grasser, the finance minister, and Peter Westenthaler, the head of the Freedom Party's Parliament Club. This resulted in new [[Austria legislative election, 2002|general elections in November]].
South Dakota is relatively notable for its lack of large urban centers. Sioux Falls, the largest city in the state, only ranks as the 152nd largest in the country,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-01.csv | title = Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2007 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 | format = [[comma-separated values|CSV]] | work = 2007 Population Estimates | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division | date = [[2008-07-10]] | accessdate = 2008-07-10 }}</ref> and the third-largest city, Aberdeen, has a population of only 25,000. However, while the population in many rural areas has decreased over the last 50 years, many cities in the state have grown at a rapid pace; as a result the population has become more concentrated than it once was.<ref>O'Driscoll, Patrick. ''Sioux Falls powers South Dakota growth'' [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/sd.htm] ''[[USA Today]]''. March 12, 2001. (accessed October 11, 2008)</ref> According to 2007 census estimates, the three most populous counties in the state, [[Minnehaha County, South Dakota|Minnehaha]], [[Pennington County, South Dakota|Pennington]], and [[Lincoln County, South Dakota|Lincoln]], were home to 38.8% of South Dakotans,<ref>Craig, Nancy J. and Nelson, Nancy I. ''Lincoln County Tops South Dakota in Population Growth Rate'' [http://www.usd.edu/brbinfo/BusinessReviews/2008/mar08revcolor1.pdf] South Dakota Business Review. March 2008. (accessed October 6, 2008)</ref> while in 1910, those counties held only 9.3% of the population.<ref>{{cite web | title = Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | url = http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/sd190090.txt}}</ref>


They resulted in a landslide victory (42.27% of the vote) of the conservative [[ÖVP|People's Party]] led by Federal Chancellor [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]. Haider's Freedom Party, which in 1999 was slightly stronger than Schüssel's party, was (see
[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota|Sioux Falls]] is the largest city in South Dakota, with an estimated 2007 population of 151,505,<ref name=2007CityPopEst>{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-46.csv | title = Annual Estimates of the Population for all Incorporated Places in South Dakota: 2000-2007 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-07-16}}</ref> and a metropolitan area population of 227,171.<ref name=2007PopEstCBSA>{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2007/CBSA-EST2007-01.csv | title = Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: 2000-2007 | format = [[comma-separated values|CSV]] | work = 2007 Population Estimates | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division | accessdate = 2008-07-16}}</ref> The city is located in the southeast corner of the state, and was founded in 1856.<ref>{{cite web | title = History of Sioux Falls | publisher = City of Sioux Falls | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | url = http://www.siouxfalls.org/Information/history/siouxfalls.aspx}}</ref> The economy of Sioux Falls, originally focused on agri-business and quarrying, has recently become largely centered on retail and financial services. [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]], with a 2007 estimated population of 63,997,<ref name=2007CityPopEst/> and a metropolitan area population of 120,279,<ref name=2007PopEstCBSA/> is the second-largest city in the state. It is located on the eastern edge of the Black Hills in western South Dakota, and was founded in 1876.<ref>{{cite web | title = Historic Glimpse of Rapid City | publisher = Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | url = http://www.rapidcitychamber.com/community/history.htm}}</ref> Rapid City's economy is largely based on tourism and defense spending, due to the close proximity of tourist attractions in the Black Hills and [[Ellsworth Air Force Base]]. The next eight largest cities in the state, in order of descending 2007 population, are [[Aberdeen, South Dakota|Aberdeen]] (24,410), [[Watertown, South Dakota|Watertown]] (20,530), [[Brookings, South Dakota|Brookings]] (19,463), [[Mitchell, South Dakota|Mitchell]] (14,832), [[Pierre, South Dakota|Pierre]] (14,032), [[Yankton, South Dakota|Yankton]] (13,643), [[Huron, South Dakota|Huron]] (10,902), and [[Vermillion, South Dakota|Vermillion]] (10,251).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-46.csv | title = Annual Estimates of the Population for all Incorporated Places in South Dakota: 2000-2007 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-10-06}}</ref> Pierre is the state capital, and Brookings and Vermillion are the locations of the state's two largest universities. Nine of the ten largest cities in the state are located east of the Missouri River.
[http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1469609]) reduced to 10.16% of the vote.


In response, Haider stated that he had demanded that the leader of the FPÖ must step down to allow him to be leader, and on being refused, stated that he would leave federal politics permanently.
===Economy===
South Dakota's early economy relied heavily on the land, minerals and ecology of the area, as nearly all of the earliest white settlers in the area were trappers, miners, or farmers. Although other economic sectors have risen in prominence in recent years, early dependance on the land laid the foundation for the future economic activity of the state.


In October 2003, a cabinet reshuffle instigated by Haider took place. [[Herbert Haupt|Haupt]] had to step down as Vice Chancellor to be replaced by [[Hubert Gorbach]].
[[Image:SDethnl1.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Ethanol]] plant in [[Turner County, South Dakota|Turner County]]]]
[[Agriculture]] has historically been a key component of the South Dakota economy. Although other industries have expanded rapidly in recent decades, agricultural production is still very important to the state's economy, especially in rural areas. The five most valuable agricultural products in South Dakota are [[cattle]], [[maize|corn (maize)]], [[soybeans]], [[pig|hogs]], and [[wheat]].<ref>{{cite web | title = State Marketing Profiles : South Dakota | publisher = United States Department of Agriculture | accessdate = 2008-01-18 | url = http://www.ams.usda.gov/statesummaries/SD/SouthDakotaInBrief.htm}}</ref> Agriculture-related industries such as [[meat packing]] and [[ethanol]] production also have a considerable economic impact on the state. South Dakota is one of the largest producers of ethanol in the nation.<ref>{{cite web | title = Ethanol Production By State | publisher = Nebraska Energy Office | accessdate = 2007-06-30 | url = http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/121.htm}}</ref>


On 7 March 2004 the FPÖ won a plurality (42.5%) of the vote in the elections for the Carinthian parliament. On 31 March 2004 Haider was re-elected Governor of Carinthia by the FPÖ and [[SPÖ]] members of the state parliament.
Another important sector in South Dakota's economy is tourism. Many travel to visit the national parks, state parks, and national monuments in the state, particularly those of the Black Hills region. South Dakota's location between national parks in the west and large cities to the east also contributes to the state's tourism and hospitality industry. In 2006, tourism provided an estimated 33,000 jobs in the state and contributed over two billion [[United States Dollar|US$]] to the economy of South Dakota.<ref>{{cite web | title = South Dakota Tourism Statistics | publisher = South Dakota Department of Tourism | accessdate = 2007-04-06 | url = http://sdvisit.com/tools/facts/index.asp}}</ref>


However, outside Carinthia, Haider's charisma seemed to have largely lost its appeal among voters. The FPÖ incurred devastating losses in several regional elections, the [[European Elections of 2004]] and in elections for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. In each of those elections, it lost between one half to two thirds of their previous voters.
===Transportation===

South Dakota has a total of 83,609 miles of highways, roads, and streets, along with 679 miles of [[interstate highways]].<ref>{{cite web | title = General Information/Key Facts | publisher = South Dakota Department of Transportation | accessdate = 2007-09-03 | url = http://www.sddot.com/geninfo_facts.asp}}</ref> Two major interstates pass through South Dakota: [[Interstate 90]], which runs east and west; and [[Interstate 29]], running north and south in the eastern portion of the state. Also located in the state are the shorter interstates [[Interstate 190 (South Dakota)|190]] and [[Interstate 229 (South Dakota)|229]]. Several major [[U.S. highway]]s pass through the state. U.S. routes [[U.S. Route 12|12]], [[U.S. Route 14|14]], [[U.S. Route 16|16]], [[U.S. Route 18|18]], and [[U.S. Route 212|212]] travel east and west, while U.S. routes [[U.S. Route 81|81]], [[U.S. Route 83|83]], [[U.S. Route 85|85]] and [[U.S. Route 281|281]] run north and south.
== Creation of a new party ==
Railroads have played an important role in South Dakota transportation since the mid nineteenth century. Some 4,420 miles of railroad track were built in South Dakota during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but only 1,839 miles of railroad are currently operational.<ref>{{cite web | title = Basic Mileage | publisher = South Dakota Department of Transportation | accessdate = 2007-09-03 | url = http://www.sddot.com/fpa/railroad/basic.asp}}</ref>

South Dakota's largest commercial airports are located at [[Sioux Falls Regional Airport|Sioux Falls]] and [[Rapid City Regional Airport|Rapid City]].
As a consequence, the FPÖ, whose chair was Haider's sister, Ursula Haubner, was riven with internal strife. On 4 April 2005, Haider, Haubner, Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach and other leading figures of the [[FPÖ]] announced the creation of a new party called [[Alliance for the Future of Austria]] (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ) with Haider as leader. In effect, this split the FPÖ into two parties.

In the following months, the [[BZÖ]] tried to establish itself within the Austrian political landscape, but met little success. Haider and his new party remained in the coalition with the People's party, leading to fierce fights between the FPÖ and BZÖ following the split-up. Subsequent polls showed that both parties were losing voter approval and in danger of failing to reach the critical 4% of the national vote barrier required for representation in parliament.

In the 2006 general elections, the BZÖ received 4.1% of votes, thus narrowly securing its representation of 7 seats in parliament. The [[FPÖ]], now led by [[Heinz-Christian Strache]] surpassed initial expectations, receiving 11.0% of the vote, 532 votes behind the [[Austrian Green Party|Greens]].

From June 2006 to August 2008, the BZÖ was lead by [[Peter Westenthaler]]. On 30 August 2008, shortly before the [[Austrian legislative election, 2008|legislative election]], Haider re-assumed the party chairmanship. Subsequently, the BZÖ received 10.7% of votes.

== Haider's political views ==

===Political views===
Haider had been a critic of Austrian politics since he began his political career in the 1970s, using simple sentences and blunt logic to highlight issues the general public perceived as unjust or self-motivated politics of the big parties politics the [[SPÖ|Austrian Social Democrats]] and the [[ÖVP|Austrian People's party]] (see [http://www.doew.at/information/mitarbeiter/beitraege/fpoeenglbn.html]).

Haider opposed immigration, although in early 2005 he publicly supported [[Turkey]]'s bid to enter the [[European Union]].

The FPÖ and Haider's new party, the BZÖ, declined to voter approvals of not more than 3% each in 2005 on the national level. In the 2008 general election, however, the BZÖ received 10.7% and the FPÖ 17.5% of votes.

===Accusations of Nazi sympathy===
Haider made statements that seemed to imply support for some ideas of [[National Socialism]]. His first stint as governor in 1989 ended abruptly when he praised the employment policies of Nazi Germany and was forced to resign (see [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/464260.stm]) A few years later, he described World War II concentration camps as "punishment camps" and said the SS were "a part of the German army which should be honoured" (see [http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/214/haiderquotes.html]). He also compared the deportation of Jews by the Nazis to the expulsion of Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II (see [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/464260.stm]). He associated publicly with Waffen-SS veterans, including attending at least one major remembrance ceremony (see [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/oct/02/austria]). On one occasion, he insulted [[Ariel Muzicant]] by saying "I do not understand how someone named Ariel [the name of a popular laundry detergent] can catch so much filth."<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1235950.stm</ref> Haider's critics claimed the remark was anti-Semitic.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1235950.stm</ref>

==Personal life==
On 1 May 1976 Haider married his wife Claudia <ref>http://members.magnet.at/sabidussi/charts/haider.html</ref> The couple had two daughters, one named Ulrike.<ref name=WienerZeitung/> In March 2000, an article in ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that a number of Austrian and German newspapers had claimed that Haider was homosexual. While Haider refused to comment on the matter, the Freedom Party's parliamentary leader, Peter Westenthaler, described the assertions as "sleaze-mongering".<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/mar/24/austria.kateconnolly</ref>

==Death==
Haider was killed in a car crash in [[Köttmannsdorf]] near [[Klagenfurt]], in the state of Carinthia, in the early hours of 11 October 2008. Police reported that the [[Volkswagen Phaeton]] that Haider had been driving came off the road, rolled down an embankment and overturned, causing him "severe head and chest injuries". Haider, who was on his way to a family gathering in honour of his mother's 90th birthday, was alone in the car and no other vehicles were involved.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7664846.stm</ref><ref>http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jnhrKIkZtbp1GqyfoqTMsmwoh1WA</ref><ref>http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1011/haiderj.html</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]
*[[Alliance for the Future of Austria]]
*[[Freedom Party of Austria]]

== References ==
{{morefootnotes}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Category:Jörg Haider|Jörg Haider}}
*{{de icon}} [http://www.ktn.gv.at/?siid=108 Landeshauptmann Dr. Jörg Haider (Kärnten)]
*{{de icon}} [http://www.parlament.gv.at/WW/DE/PAD_00490/ Dr. Jörg Haider at the Austrian Parliament website]
* {{PND|118854208}}

{{start box}}
| width="25%" align="center" | Preceded by:<br>'''[[Peter Ambrozy]]'''
| width="25%" align="center" | '''[[Carinthia (state)|Governor of Carinthia]]'''<br>(First period of office)<br>1989{{ndash}} 1991
| width="25%" align="center" | Succeeded by:<br>'''[[Christoph Zernatto]]'''
|-
| width="25%" align="center" | Preceded by:<br>'''[[Christoph Zernatto]]'''
| width="30%" align="center" | '''[[Carinthia (state)|Governor of Carinthia]]'''<br>(Second period of office)<br>Since 1999
| width="25%" align="center" | Succeeded by:<br> ---
|-
| width="25%" align="center" | '''[[Norbert Steger]]'''
| width="30%" align="center" | '''[[Freedom Party of Austria|FPÖ Party Chairman]]'''<br>1986&ndash;2000
| width="25%" align="center" | '''[[Susanne Riess-Passer]]'''
{{end box}}
{{CarinthiaGovs}}
{{Current Austrian Governors}}
{{FPÖ party chairs}}


<!--Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]-->
==References==
{{Persondata
{{reflist|2}}
|NAME = Haider, Jörg
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Haider, Joerg
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Austrian politician
|DATE OF BIRTH = 26 January 1950
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Bad Goisern]]
|DATE OF DEATH = 11 October 2008
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Klagenfurt]]
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Haider, Joerg}}
{{South Dakota}}
[[Category:Austrian politicians]]
{{U.S. political divisions geographies}}
[[Category:University of Vienna alumni]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Road accident deaths in Austria]]


[[bar:Jörg Haider]]
[[Category:Geography of South Dakota| ]]
[[br:Jörg Haider]]
[[cs:Jörg Haider]]
[[cy:Jörg Haider]]
[[da:Jörg Haider]]
[[de:Jörg Haider]]
[[es:Jörg Haider]]
[[fr:Jörg Haider]]
[[it:Jörg Haider]]
[[he:ירג היידר]]
[[ka:იორგ ჰაიდერი]]
[[la:Georgius Haider]]
[[nl:Jörg Haider]]
[[ja:イェルク・ハイダー]]
[[no:Jörg Haider]]
[[pl:Jörg Haider]]
[[pt:Jörg Haider]]
[[ro:Jörg Haider]]
[[ru:Хайдер, Йорг]]
[[simple:Jörg Haider]]
[[sl:Jörg Haider]]
[[sr:Јерг Хајдер]]
[[fi:Jörg Haider]]
[[sv:Jörg Haider]]
[[tr:Jörg Haider]]

Revision as of 07:35, 11 October 2008

Jörg Haider
Governor of Carinthia
In office
1999–2008
Preceded byChristoph Zernatto
In office
1989–1991
Preceded byPeter Ambrozy
Succeeded byChristoph Zernatto
Personal details
Born26 January 1950
Bad Goisern, Austria
Died11 October 2008 (aged 58)
Köttmannsdorf, Austria
Political partyFPÖ, BZÖ
EducationDr. iur. (law degree)
ProfessionLaw

Jörg Haider (26 January 1950 – 11 October 2008)[1] was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia and Chairman of the "Alliance for the Future of Austria" (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ).

Haider was a long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ). When he stepped down as the FPÖ's chairman in 2000, he remained its major figure until 2005, when he founded the BZÖ in April. He was subsequently expelled from the FPÖ by its interim leader Hilmar Kabas.

Early life

Haider's parents

Haider's parents had been Nazis and early NSDAP party members. They were from different backgrounds; Haider's father, Robert Haider, was a shoemaker, while his mother, Dorothea Rupp, was the daughter of a wealthy, noted, medical doctor and head of the general hospital of Linz.[2]

Robert Haider joined the NSDAP in 1929 as a fifteen year-old boy, four years before Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. He remained a member even after the Austrian Nazi Party was banned in Austria and after Engelbert Dollfuss had dissolved the Austrian parliament and established a Ständestaat, a fascist dictatorship. In 1933, Haider senior moved to Bavaria but returned to Austria the following year after the failed Nazi attempt to overthrow the Austrian government. He was arrested and chose to move back to Germany where he joined the Austrian Legion, a division of the Sturmabteilung.[3]

Haider senior completed a two-year military service in Germany and returned to Austria in 1938 after it was annexed by Nazi Germany (the Anschluss). From 1940, he fought as a junior officer on the Western and Eastern Fronts in Europe during the Second World War. Having been wounded several times, he was discharged from the Wehrmacht with the rank of lieutenant. In 1945, he married Dorothea Rupp, at that time as a leader in the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM).

Following the end of the war, legal proceedings against both Haider's parents were conducted to determine what measures should be taken against them because of their NSDAP membership (proceedings against all former Nazis– NSDAP members and collaborators– were undertaken as a matter of law in both Austria and Germany after the war ended).[3] They were labelled as "Minderbelastet" (meaning only low-ranking in the NSDAP structure), and Robert Haider was forced to work in a shoe factory. Dorothea Haider, who had been a teacher, was prohibited from working for a couple of years following the end of the war.[2][4]

Haider's youth

Jörg Haider graduated from the University of Vienna in 1973, receiving a law degree.

Jörg Haider was born in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Goisern in 1950, a time when his parents' finances were rather moderate, and his elder sister, later Ursula Haubner, five years old. He was a good student in primary school and attended high school in Bad Ischl despite his parents' financial situation. Haider was reportedly always top of his class in high school (see [1]). During his time in Bad Ischl he had first contacts with nationalist organizations, such as the Burschenschaft Albia, a right-wing student group.

After he graduated with highest distinction in 1968, he moved to Vienna to study law. During his studies he was affiliated again with a Burschenschaft such as Silvania. After graduating from the University of Vienna with the title of Dr. iur. in 1973 he was drafted into the Austrian Army where he voluntarily spent more than the mandatory nine months (called 'the voluntary one year'). In 1974 he started to work at the University of Vienna law faculty in the department of constitutional law.

Haider's rise to power in the FPÖ

The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) was founded in 1955, and initially was a mixture of various political currents opposed both to the political catholicism of the Austrian People's Party and the socialist views of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. With its roots in the Pan-German movement, it included both German-nationalist and liberal political views. In 1970 Haider became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement and headed it until 1974. Haider rose rapidly through the party ranks. In 1972, at the age of 22, he was already a well-established leader and was made party affairs manager of the Carinthian FPÖ in 1976. In 1979 he was the youngest delegate among the 183 members of parliament, at age 29. From 1983 his policies became more aggressive, when he rose to party head of the Carinthian FPÖ and started to criticise the leaders of the FPÖ, which at that time was still a minor political movement in Austria, usually winning only about 5–6% of the vote (see [2]).

The decisive point of his career came in 1986 when he defeated Austrian Vice Chancellor Norbert Steger in the vote for party leadership at the party convention in September in Innsbruck; many delegates feared that Steger's liberal political views and his coalition with the Social Democrats threatened the party's existence.

Carinthia

Carinthia is a state in the South of Austria.

Bärental

Throughout his career Haider had concentrated his politics on Carinthia. In addition, Haider's personal life was heavily connected with this part of Austria: Haider became wealthy when he inherited the estate of his uncle Wilhelm Webhofer in 1983, who had owned a large parcel of land in Carinthia commonly known as 'Bärental' (bear valley). This estate has a history that came up in the 1990s in the Austrian media. The land had been owned by an Italian Jew until 1941. At that point in time the Nazis still hesitated to take possession of "Jewish property" owned by non-German nationals without any compensation. Thus when the estate was "sold" in 1941, Haider's great-uncle Josef Webhofer (a resident of Bolzano-Bozen, Italy) paid 300,000 Reichsmark (about 1.5 million dollars today) to obtain title to the land. After the war Mathilde Ruifer, the widow of the former Jewish owner of Bärental demanded compensation and was paid an additional 850,000 schilling (around 400,000 dollars today). In 1955 Josef Webhofer's son Wilhelm Webhofer inherited the estate and later bequested it to Jörg Haider. Today the land is estimated to be worth about fifteen million dollars (see [3]).

Political struggle in Carinthia

Until 1989, the socialist/Social-Democratic party SPÖ held an absolute majority in the Austrian province of Carinthia; when it received less than 50% of seats in 1989, ÖVP and FPÖ formed a coalition and elected Haider as Landeshauptmann (or governor) of Carinthia.

In 1991, in a debate in the regional parliament, a speaker attacked Haider's plan of reducing unemployment payments for people seen as "freeloaders", calling it forced work placement reminiscent of Nazi policies. Haider replied, "It would not be like the Third Reich, because the Third Reich developed a proper employment policy, which your government in Vienna has not once produced." The remark caused an uproar, Haider had to resign his governor post, and the FPÖ-ÖVP coalition was replaced by an SPÖ-ÖVP coalition.

In 1999, Haider again was elected governor of Carinthia by the Carinthian parliament, where the FPÖ now held a plurality of more than 42%. Even after the FPÖ fell to only 10% from 27% in the national elections in 2002, Haider's support in Carinthia did not diminish and he succeeded in the 2004 elections receiving a slightly higher percentage (42.5%) than in 1999.

FPÖ chairman

Haider as opposition leader

Under Haider's leadership, the FPÖ moved to the far right, reflecting Haider's nationalist, anti-immigration, and anti-EU views. Haider relied primarily on populism (see below) to advance his interests. From 1986 when Haider became the FPÖ's chairman the party's share in elections rose from 5% in the 1986 elections to almost 27% in 1999.

With Haider practically leading the FPÖ single-handedly, he was able to unite the scattered, divided extreme-right in Austria and establish a party that was not so much founded on leading personalities or an ideology but on just one leader - Haider himself, who used to change his opinions frequently. His style of governing the party became authoritative in the following years, however his followers did not challenge his ultimate authority in the party, especially because Haider was able to gain one victory after another in elections (see [4]).

An exception was the split off by the Liberal Forum in the mid-1990s headed by Heide Schmidt, a long-time political supporter of Haider and the FPÖ's candidate for presidency in 1992. The liberals initially gained the support of about 6% of the voters nationwide, but Schmidt was not able to uphold this support and the Liberal Forum subsequently dropped out of parliament in 1999.

The party's mixture of populism, anti-establishment and nationalist themes steadily gained support over the years. In addition to far-right voters, the FPÖ was able to attract protest voters from both the Social Democrats and the Conservatives in both the national and regional elections of the 1990s. Along with those who were fed up with decades of government by the 'Great Coalition' (see also: Proporz), Haider always had the unconditional backing of the core far-right voters due to the lack of any more outspoken far-right parties (which are forbidden under anti-Nazi laws).

Coalition government with Wolfgang Schüssel's People's party

In 2000, Haider's Freedom Party and the People's Party joined to form a coalition government. This caused widespread outrage both in Austria and the rest of Europe. The heads of government of the other fourteen EU members decided to cease cooperation with the Austrian government, as it was felt in many countries that the cordon sanitaire against coalitions with parties considered as right-wing extremists, which had mostly held in Western Europe since 1945, had been breached. For several months, other national leaders refused to shake hands and socialize with members of the Schüssel government. This was described as "sanctions" by representatives of the ÖVP and FPÖ, and supporters of the government often blamed social democrats and President Thomas Klestil for them, and questioned their loyalty to the country.

The EU leaders soon saw that their measures were counterproductive and returned to normality during the summer of 2000, even though the coalition remained unchanged. (See Austria legislative election, 1999.) Nevertheless it is not easy to measure effects of these "sanctions".

At the end of 2000, Jörg Haider stepped down from the leadership of the Freedom Party. This was widely regarded as a cynical move to appease foreign criticism, as he appeared to continue to control the party from behind the scenes, with Susanne Riess-Passer who was the following party chairwoman being only pro-forma in charge. Haider proclaimed that his move was just the fulfillment of his promise to Carinthian FPÖ voters he gave prior to the election that had been held in the same year.(see[5])

Collapse of the (first) coalition and decline of the Freedom Party

In September 2002, after a special party convention ("Sonderparteitag") in Knittelfeld (Styria), the so-called Knittelfeld Putsch, Riess-Passer lost the support of many party members. This meeting is also sometimes considered as a rebellion against the members which are currently involved in the government, which was thought to be started or at least supported by Haider. Thus Riess-Passer resigned as Vice Federal Chancellor and Party Chairwoman and with her went Karl-Heinz Grasser, the finance minister, and Peter Westenthaler, the head of the Freedom Party's Parliament Club. This resulted in new general elections in November.

They resulted in a landslide victory (42.27% of the vote) of the conservative People's Party led by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. Haider's Freedom Party, which in 1999 was slightly stronger than Schüssel's party, was (see [6]) reduced to 10.16% of the vote.

In response, Haider stated that he had demanded that the leader of the FPÖ must step down to allow him to be leader, and on being refused, stated that he would leave federal politics permanently.

In October 2003, a cabinet reshuffle instigated by Haider took place. Haupt had to step down as Vice Chancellor to be replaced by Hubert Gorbach.

On 7 March 2004 the FPÖ won a plurality (42.5%) of the vote in the elections for the Carinthian parliament. On 31 March 2004 Haider was re-elected Governor of Carinthia by the FPÖ and SPÖ members of the state parliament.

However, outside Carinthia, Haider's charisma seemed to have largely lost its appeal among voters. The FPÖ incurred devastating losses in several regional elections, the European Elections of 2004 and in elections for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. In each of those elections, it lost between one half to two thirds of their previous voters.

Creation of a new party

As a consequence, the FPÖ, whose chair was Haider's sister, Ursula Haubner, was riven with internal strife. On 4 April 2005, Haider, Haubner, Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach and other leading figures of the FPÖ announced the creation of a new party called Alliance for the Future of Austria (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich, BZÖ) with Haider as leader. In effect, this split the FPÖ into two parties.

In the following months, the BZÖ tried to establish itself within the Austrian political landscape, but met little success. Haider and his new party remained in the coalition with the People's party, leading to fierce fights between the FPÖ and BZÖ following the split-up. Subsequent polls showed that both parties were losing voter approval and in danger of failing to reach the critical 4% of the national vote barrier required for representation in parliament.

In the 2006 general elections, the BZÖ received 4.1% of votes, thus narrowly securing its representation of 7 seats in parliament. The FPÖ, now led by Heinz-Christian Strache surpassed initial expectations, receiving 11.0% of the vote, 532 votes behind the Greens.

From June 2006 to August 2008, the BZÖ was lead by Peter Westenthaler. On 30 August 2008, shortly before the legislative election, Haider re-assumed the party chairmanship. Subsequently, the BZÖ received 10.7% of votes.

Haider's political views

Political views

Haider had been a critic of Austrian politics since he began his political career in the 1970s, using simple sentences and blunt logic to highlight issues the general public perceived as unjust or self-motivated politics of the big parties politics the Austrian Social Democrats and the Austrian People's party (see [7]).

Haider opposed immigration, although in early 2005 he publicly supported Turkey's bid to enter the European Union.

The FPÖ and Haider's new party, the BZÖ, declined to voter approvals of not more than 3% each in 2005 on the national level. In the 2008 general election, however, the BZÖ received 10.7% and the FPÖ 17.5% of votes.

Accusations of Nazi sympathy

Haider made statements that seemed to imply support for some ideas of National Socialism. His first stint as governor in 1989 ended abruptly when he praised the employment policies of Nazi Germany and was forced to resign (see [8]) A few years later, he described World War II concentration camps as "punishment camps" and said the SS were "a part of the German army which should be honoured" (see [9]). He also compared the deportation of Jews by the Nazis to the expulsion of Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II (see [10]). He associated publicly with Waffen-SS veterans, including attending at least one major remembrance ceremony (see [11]). On one occasion, he insulted Ariel Muzicant by saying "I do not understand how someone named Ariel [the name of a popular laundry detergent] can catch so much filth."[5] Haider's critics claimed the remark was anti-Semitic.[6]

Personal life

On 1 May 1976 Haider married his wife Claudia [7] The couple had two daughters, one named Ulrike.[2] In March 2000, an article in The Guardian reported that a number of Austrian and German newspapers had claimed that Haider was homosexual. While Haider refused to comment on the matter, the Freedom Party's parliamentary leader, Peter Westenthaler, described the assertions as "sleaze-mongering".[8]

Death

Haider was killed in a car crash in Köttmannsdorf near Klagenfurt, in the state of Carinthia, in the early hours of 11 October 2008. Police reported that the Volkswagen Phaeton that Haider had been driving came off the road, rolled down an embankment and overturned, causing him "severe head and chest injuries". Haider, who was on his way to a family gathering in honour of his mother's 90th birthday, was alone in the car and no other vehicles were involved.[9][10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://news.orf.at/?href=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.orf.at%2Fticker%2F304770.html
  2. ^ a b c "Jörg Haider Biographie". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 2004-09-10. Retrieved 2008-05-05. Seine Eltern, die 1945 heirateten, kamen aus unterschiedlichen Bildungsschichten. Der Vater war Schuhmacher, die Mutter, eine geborene Rupp, die Tochter eines Gynäkologen und Primararztes am Linzer Allgemeinen Krankenhaus. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month=, |name=, and |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Jörg Haider's Antisemitism". Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism. Hebrew University. 2001. Retrieved 2008-05-05. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |name= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Profile: Controversy and Joerg Haider". BBC News. 2000-02-29. Retrieved 2008-05-05. After the war they were punished for their affiliations and forced to take up menial work. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month=, |name=, and |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1235950.stm
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1235950.stm
  7. ^ http://members.magnet.at/sabidussi/charts/haider.html
  8. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/mar/24/austria.kateconnolly
  9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7664846.stm
  10. ^ http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jnhrKIkZtbp1GqyfoqTMsmwoh1WA
  11. ^ http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1011/haiderj.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jörg Haider.
Preceded by:
Peter Ambrozy 		Governor of Carinthia
(First period of office)
1989– 1991 		Succeeded by:
Christoph Zernatto
Preceded by:
Christoph Zernatto 		Governor of Carinthia
(Second period of office)
Since 1999 		Succeeded by:
---
Norbert Steger FPÖ Party Chairman
1986–2000 		Susanne Riess-Passer

Template:Persondata

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