Michael Hainisch
Encyclopedia
Michael Hainisch was an Austrian politician, and the second President of Austria, after the fall of the monarchy at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. He did not belong to any party and was an independent candidate. He was elected and assumed office in 1920, and stayed for two periods until 1928.

Presidency

As a president, he worked hard to improve the dire situation Austria found itself after the war.
He did a lot to develop the agricultural sector, encouraged the electrification
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...

 of the railway, tried to develop more tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 especially in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

. Trade with neighbouring countries such as Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 was encouraged. He also became a protector of local traditions and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

, and initiated the creation of the law of protected monuments.
He became also an honorary member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften (en: Academy of Sciences).

In 1928, main parties proposed to amend the constitution in order to reelect Hainisch for a third term. Federal Chancellor Ignaz Seipel
Ignaz Seipel
Ignaz Seipel was an Austrian prelate and politician who served as Chancellor during the 1920s.-Career:Seipel studied theology at the University of Vienna and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1899...

 proposed a one-year term for Hainisch. But Hainisch declined a third term and nothing is done. (see : http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,928608-1,00.html)

Controversially, he supported Pan-German ideas and later supported the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....

 of Austria to Nazi-Germany in 1938, as did many of his fellow compatriots back then. He died in 1940, just a year after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 started.

External links

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