Karl Renner (14 December 1870 – 31 December 1950) was an
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
n
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
. He was born in Untertannowitz (
Dolní DunajoviceDolní Dunajovice is a village in Břeclav District, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 1,693 ....
) (
MoraviaMoravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region.-Geography:...
) and died in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
. He is called the Father of the Republic because he headed the first government in republican Austria in 1918 and was once again decisive in establishing the present Second Republic in 1945, becoming its first President.
Early life
Renner was born the 18th child of a small farmer but, because of his intelligence, was allowed to attend a selective
gymnasiumA gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools...
. One of his teachers was
Wilhelm JerusalemWilhelm Jerusalem was an Austrian Jewish philosopher and pedagogue....
. From 1890 to 1896 he studied law at the
University of ViennaThe University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is, therefore, the oldest university in the German-speaking world and one of the largest in Central Europe.-History:...
. In 1895 he was one of the founding members of the Naturfreunde (
Friends of NatureFriends of Nature is an international movement with a background in the Social Democratic movement, which aims to make nature accessible to the wider community by providing appropriate recreational and travel facilities.-Background:It is a non-profit organisation which, in addition to encouraging...
) organisation and created their logo. Being interested in politics he became a librarian in parliament. During these early years he already opened up new perspectives in anlysis both of national conflict and of private law - all the while disowning his innovative ideas under a variety of pseudonyms lest he lose his coveted post as parliamentary librarian.
Pre-WWII
When in 1918, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he became the first head of government ("State Chancellor") of that newly established small German speaking republic which did not wish to be considered the heir of the
HabsburgThe House of Habsburg or Hapsburg was an important royal house of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1452 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian and Spanish Empire and several other countries...
monarchy. He thus suggested the novel name "Norische Republik", or
Noric Republic, for an altogether new state, a reference to the ancient Celtic "regnum
NoricumNoricum, in ancient geography, was a Celtic kingdom stretching over the area of today's Austria and a fraction of Slovenia. It became a province of the Roman Empire...
", a kingdom that covered almost the same area as the new state and was later incorporated as a province in the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
. His suggestion was passed over in favour of "Republik Deutsch-Österreich," i.e. Republic of German-Austria, a name that in the Treaty of Saint-Germain of 1919 was prohibited by
The EntenteThe Entente powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The key members of the Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire. New Zealand, Belgium, Serbia, Canada, Australia, Italy, Romania and the United States were also drawn into the war...
when they crushed the resolution of the Constituent National Assembly in Vienna that "German-Austria" was to be part of the
German RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government, named after Weimar, the place where the constitutional assembly took place. Its official name was still Deutsches Reich , however...
. Even before the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Renner had proposed a future union of the German parts of Austria with, even using the word "
AnschlussThe ' , also known as the ', was the 1938 de facto annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi regime....
",
Renner was always interested in politics and in 1896 he joined the
Social Democratic Party of AustriaThe Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the major parties in Austria and has particularly strong ties to labor unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour...
(SPÖ), representing the party in the
ReichsratThe Reichsrat was the Austrian Parliament from 1861 to 1918. It consisted of the Herrenhaus and the Abgeordnetenhaus .-Early History:...
from 1907 till its dissolution in November 1918. He was in the forefront of the Provisional and the Constitutional National Assemblies of those "Lands Represented in the Reichsrat" (the formal description of the Austrian half of the Dual Monarchy) that predominantly spoke
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
and had decided to form a nation state just like all the other nationalities had done. He was the leader of the delegation that represented this new German-Austria in the negotiations of St. Germain where the "Republic of Austria" was acknowledged but was declared to be the responsible successor to Imperial Austria. There Renner had to accept that this new Austria was prohibited any political association with Germany and he had to accept the loss of the German speaking
South TyrolThe Province of Bolzano-Bozen, also referred to as South Tyrol or Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two provinces that make up the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which is itself an autonomous region. The province has an area of and a total...
and the German-speaking parts of
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
and
MoraviaMoravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region.-Geography:...
where he himself was born; this forced him to give up his share in the parental farm if he, "
the peasant proprietor who turned Marxist", wanted to remain an Austrian government officer.
Renner was
Chancellor of AustriaThe Chancellor of Austria is the head of government in Austria. The chancellor's deputy is the Vice Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria.-Appointment:...
of the first three coalition cabinets and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1918 until 1920, and from 1931 to 1933 he was President of Parliament, the
National Council of AustriaThe National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
. In the time of autoritarian
AustrofascismAustrofascism is a term which is frequently used by historians to describe the authoritarian rule installed in Austria between 1934 and 1938. It was based on a ruling party, the Fatherland Front and the Heimwehr paramilitary units...
from 1934, when his party was prohibited, he even welcomed the
AnschlussThe ' , also known as the ', was the 1938 de facto annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi regime....
. Having originally been a proponent of new German-Austria becoming a part of the democratic
German RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government, named after Weimar, the place where the constitutional assembly took place. Its official name was still Deutsches Reich , however...
, he expected
NazismNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
to be but a passing phenomenon not worse than the dictatorship of
DollfußEngelbert Dollfuß was an Austrian Christian Social and Patriotic Front statesman, who was chancellor of Austria from 1932 and right-wing dictator of Austria from 1933 until his assassination by Nazi agents in 1934....
and
Schuschniggs'sDr Kurt von Schuschnigg was Chancellor of the First Austrian Republic, following the assassination of his predecessor, Dr. Engelbert Dollfuss, in July 1934, until Germany’s invasion of Austria, , in March 1938. He was opposed to Hitler’s ambitions to absorb Austria into the Third Reich...
authoritarian one-party system which Austria was suffering. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, however, he distanced himself from politics completely.
Post-WWII
In April 1945, just before the collapse of the Third Reich, the defeat of Germany and the end of the war, Renner set up a Provisional Government in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
with other politicians from the three revived parties SPÖ (social-democrat),
ÖVPOVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
(conservative, successor to the Christian Social Party) and
KPÖMeanings of KPO:* Knowledge process outsourcing.* KPÖ , Communist Party of Austria.* Kommunistische Partei-Opposition, Communist Party Opposition.* KPO, a San Francisco radio station that later became known as KNBR....
(communist). On April 27, by a declaration, this Provisional Government separated Austria from Germany and campaigned for the country to be acknowledged as an independent republic. As a result of Renner's actions Austria was to benefit greatly in the eyes of the Allies as she had fulfilled the stipulation of the
Moscow DeclarationThe Moscow Declaration was signed during the Moscow Conference on October 30 1943. The formal name of the declaration was "Declaration of the Four Nations on General Security". It was signed by the foreign secretaries of the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the...
of 1943, where the Foreign Secretaries of US, UK and USSR declared that the annexation (Anschluss) of Austria by Germany was null and void calling for the establishment of a free Austria after the victory over Nazi Germany provided that Austria could demonstrate that she had undertaken suitable actions of her own in that direction. Thus Austria, having been invaded by Germany, was treated as an unwilling party and "the first victim" of
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
. Being suspicious of the fact that the Russians in Vienna were the first to accept Renner's Cabinet, the Western Allies hesitated half a year with their recognition, but his Provisional Government was in the end recognised by all Four Powers on Oct. 20 and Renner was thus the first post-war
ChancellorThe Chancellor of Austria is the head of government in Austria. The chancellor's deputy is the Vice Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria.-Appointment:...
. In late 1945, he was elected the first
PresidentThe Austrian Federal President is the federal head of state of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the constitution, in practice the President acts, for the most part, merely as a ceremonial figurehead. The President of Austria is directly elected by universal adult...
of the Second Republic.
Karl Renner died in 1950 and was buried in the Presidential Tomb at
ZentralfriedhofThe Zentralfriedhof is situated in the district of Simmering, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 230–244, Vienna 1110, Austria, and is the largest and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries....
in Vienna.
Political beliefs
For most of his life, Renner alternated between the political commitment of a
Social DemocratSocial democracy is a political ideology of the political left and centre-left on the classic political spectrum. Social democracy emerged in the late 19th century from the socialist movement and continues to exert influence worldwide....
and the analytical distance of an academic scholar. Central to Renner's academic work is the problem of the relationship between law and social transformations. With his
Rechtsinstitute des Privatrechts und ihre soziale Funktion. Ein Beitrag zur Kritik des bürgerlichen Rechts (1904), he became one of the founders of the discipline of the
sociology of lawSociology of law refers to both a sub-discipline of sociology and an approach within the field of legal studies. Sociology of law is a diverse field of study which examines the interaction of law with other aspects of society, such as the effect of legal institutions, doctrines, and practices on...
. His and
Otto BauerOtto Bauer was an Austrian Social Democrat who is considered one of the leading thinkers of the left socialist Austro-Marxist tendency...
's ideas about the legal protection of cultural minorities were taken up by the Jewish
BundBund may refer toin German context:Bund is the German language and Yiddish word for Federation or Union, in which context it is pronounced "boont". Since 1949, the word is frequently used in reference to the Federal Republic of Germany , its parliament , its military , etc...
, but fiercely denounced by Lenin. Stalin devoted a whole chapter to criticising Cultural National Autonomy in
Marxism and the National Question.
Publications
- Under the penname 'Synopticus': Staat und Nation (Vienna 1899).
English: State and Nation In: Ephraim Nimni (ed.), National Cultural Autonomy and Its Contemporary Critics, London: Routledge, 2005 pp. 64 - 82 ISBN 0-415-24964-5
- Under the penname Rudolf Springer:Der Kampf der Nation um den Staat (1902)
- Grundlagen und Entwicklungsziele der österr.-ungar. Monarchie, die Krise des Dualismus, (1904)
- Under his real name: Österreichs Erneuerung (3 vols., 1916/17)
- Marxismus, Krieg und Internationale (1918)
- Die Wirtschaft als Gesamtprozess und die Sozialisierung (1924)
- Staatswirtschaft, Weltwirtschaft und Sozialismus (1929)
- Die Rechtsinstitute des Privatrechts und ihre soziale Funktion (1929)
English: The Institutions of Private Law and their Social Function, Transl. by A Schwarzschild, with an introduction by Otto Kahn-Freund, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul 1949, reprinted 1976, reprinted in International Library of Sociology 1996
- Wege der Verwirklichung (1929)
- An der Wende zweier Zeiten. Lebenserinnerungen (memoirs), 2 vols. Vienna: Braumüller 1946
- Wandlungen der modernen Gesellschaft: Hundert Jahre Karl Marx: Erbe und Auftrag (1947) and Arbeit und Kapital (1950) (= Nachgelassene Werke i.e. unpublished works) Vol. 3, Vienna: 1953, reprint European Sociology 1975
- Porträt einer Evolution Nachgelassene Werke vol. 2, edited by Adolf Schärf , Vienna: Verlag der Wiener Volksbuchhandlung 1953
Literature
- Heinz Fischer, Hugo Pepper(ed.), Karl Renner. Porträt einer Evolution Lauchringen: Baulino 1984 ISBN 3-203-50166-6,
- William M. Johnston, Karl Renner: The Austro-Marxist as Conciliator. In: The Austrian Mind: An Intellectual and Social History, 1848-1938 Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983 ISBN 0-520-04955-1 pp. 105-109
- Ephraim Nimni (ed.), National cultural autonomy and its contemporary critics. Routledge Innovations in Political Theory,(16 essays) London: Routledge, 2005 ISBN 0-415-24964-5
- Stephane Pierre-Caps, "Karl Renner et l'Etat Multinationale: Contribution Juridique á la Solution d'Imbroglios Politiques Contemporains", Droit et Societé 27 (1994), 421-441.
- Ernst Panzenböck, Ein Deutscher Traum: die Anschlussidee und Anschlusspolitik bei Karl Renner und Otto Bauer. Materialien zur Arbeiterbewegung, PhD thesis, Vienna: Europaverlag, 1985 ISBN 3-203-50897-4
- Pat Shannon: Review of The Institutions of Private Law and their Social Function In: Journal of Sociology Vol. 13, No. 3 (1977) p. 264 PDF
- Jamie Bulloch, Karl Renner: Austria London: Haus Publishing, 2009 ISBN 9781905791897
External links
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