Anton Rintelen

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Anton Rintelen (born November 15, 1876 in Graz , † January 28, 1946 there ) was an Austrian lawyer and politician of the Christian Social Party . As governor of Styria , he played an often dubious and to this day difficult to assess role in the politics of the First Republic . He maintained contacts with the Home Guard movement and conspired with the Nazis that it during the July coup for Chancellor declared.

Life

After his law studies in Graz and Vienna ( doctorate 1898) Rintelen worked as a researcher at several universities. In 1902 he qualified as a professor for civil court proceedings. Between 1903 and 1911 he worked as a professor at the German University in Prague , where he was involved in the “ Wahrmund Affair ”, a dispute between the Catholic - clerical and the national-liberal ideological orientations at the universities.

From 1911 he was professor for civil court proceedings at the University of Graz . During the First World War he volunteered at the military court. In 1918 he was appointed Deputy Governor of Styria, and from 1920–1923 he was also a member of the Federal Council . From 1919 to 1926 and from 1928 to 1933 he was Governor of Styria. There were interruptions to his tenure as governor because he also held the office of Federal Minister for Education in 1926 and 1932–1933. He was also a member of the National Council from 1927 to 1930 and from 1931 to 1934 . Rintelen was a member of the KÖStV Traungau Graz in the Austrian Cartel Association , which largely supported the corporate state (see also Austrofascism ).

Rintelen, who was considered an extremely ambitious and unscrupulous power politician, did everything in his power to expand his position of power and to become Federal Chancellor. His attempts to achieve this goal with the help of the Heimwehr, however, failed at the latest in 1931 with the Pfrimer Putsch . In 1933 he was finally eliminated from the cabinet by Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss and deported to the post of envoy in Rome . From there he conspired with the National Socialists who, in the course of their attempted coup on July 25, 1934, announced by forced radio announcement that he had taken over the official business after the resignation of the Dollfuss government. This radio announcement was also intended as a signal for a survey of the SA and SS in the federal states.

When the failure of the coup became obvious, Rintelen began cautiously to distance himself from the coup plotters. In connection with the radio announcement of the resignation of the government, he played the surprise and demanded that Radio Verkehrs AG correct the - as he put it - "mystification" of his appointment as Federal Chancellor. Although he denied in a discussion with members of the government, including Kurt Schuschnigg , that he had knowledge of the coup, he was taken into custody. When two detectives came to pick him up for an interrogation on the night of July 25th to 26th, he attempted suicide with a shot in the heart area.

On March 2, 1935, the trial against Rintelen began. For the first time, his connections to Rudolf Weydenhammer , one of the leading planners of the July coup, were revealed. For this reason, Rintelen faced the death penalty. Justice Minister Egon Berger-Waldenegg , who was also the national leader of the Styrian Home Guard, instructed the public prosecutor to conduct the process in such a way that Rintelen could only expect life-long imprisonment - this verdict was then also announced on March 14. Due to the general amnesty announced after the Berchtesgaden Agreement of February 12, 1938, Rintelen was released from prison, but could no longer gain a political foothold. In 1941 his memoirs entitled Memories of Austria's Path were published .

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helmut Haidacher: 50 years of Traungau. Heinrich Stiasny's Sons, Graz 1958, p. 27.
  2. ↑ Stefan Neuhäuser (ed.): We will do a great job. P. 29.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Rintelen, Anton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian lawyer and politician (CSP), member of the National Council, member of the Federal Council
DATE OF BIRTH November 15, 1876
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz
DATE OF DEATH January 28, 1946
Place of death Graz