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Kurt Schuschnigg
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Kurt Schuschnigg, in 1936
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In office
July 29, 1934 ? March 11, 1938
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President
| Wilhelm Miklas
|
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Deputy
| Ernst Rudiger Starhemberg
,
Eduard Baar-Baarenfels
,
Ludwig Hulgerth
,
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
|
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Preceded by
| Ernst Rudiger Starhemberg
(acting)
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Succeeded by
| Arthur Seyss-Inquart
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In office
July 25 ? July 26, 1934
|
President
| Wilhelm Miklas
|
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Preceded by
| Engelbert Dollfuss
|
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Succeeded by
| Ernst Rudiger Starhemberg
(acting)
|
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|
|
Born
| (
1897-12-14
)
14 December 1897
Riva del Garda
, then
Austria-Hungary
, now
Italy
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Died
| 18 November 1977
(1977-11-18)
(aged 79)
Mutters
,
Tyrol
,
Austria
|
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Political party
| Patriotic Front
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Profession
| Lawyer
,
Professor
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Kurt Alois Josef Johann Schuschnigg
(1897?1977, until 1919,
Edler von Schuschnigg
) was the 15th
Chancellor
of
Austria
. He was in office between the
assassination
of his predecessor,
Engelbert Dollfuss
in 1934, and the
annexation
of Austria in 1938. The time of Dollfuss' and Schuschnigg's reign is known as
Austrofascism
today. He survived the war as a
prisoner
. After the war, he took US citizenship, and became a
professor
for state
law
in the United States. In 1968, he returned to Austria, where he died in 1977.
Schuschnigg studied law in
Freiburg im Breisgau
and
Innsbruck
. The
nazi
Otto Planetta
killed Dollfuss, in 1934, in an event that is known as
July putsch
today. During the war, the
NSDAP
saw Planetta as a hero. Schuschnigg became the next Chancellor, and at age 36, is the youngest person to become chanellor to this date.
Schuschnigg was a conservative and an Austrian nationalist. He also supported the idea of Austria as a catholic nation. During his time in office, he was opposed to the idea of Austria becoming a part of Germany.
Adolf Hitler
began to make show aggression towards Austria in the later 1930s. Schuschnigg planned a referendum on the issue, and this was strongly opposed by the Nazis. In his last major speech, he gave an emotional appeal to Austrian independence and nationalism, finishing with the line "Red White Red, until we're dead!" (referring to the colors of the Austrian flag). Schuschnigg was forced to step down on 11th March 1938, and to hand power to Dr.
Arthur Seyß-Inquart
. One day later, Austria was annexed to Germany.
Schuschnigg was arrested by the
Gestapo
soon after this. He was sent to the infamous
Dachau Concentration Camp
, where he spent most of the war. After Dachau was liberated by allied armed forces he moved to the United States. He wrote books on his political career and worked in academia in the US. In 1968 he retired from being a professor and retired to Austria, where he died of natural causes in 1977.