Rudolf Kirchschläger
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Kirchschläger was an Austria
n diplomat
, politician
, judge
and, from 1974 to 1986, the eighth President of Austria.
, Upper Austria
, Kirschläger was orphaned at the age of 11. He graduated from High School in Horn
in 1935 with distinction and started to study law
at the University of Vienna
. However, after the Anschluss
of Austria in 1938, he had to give up his studies. Without joining the NSDAP, which he refused to do, his scholarship was revoked and Kirchschläger could not finance his studies any more. Kirchschläger worked as a bank clerk in 1938 until he was drafted to service in the infantry of the Wehrmacht
in the summer of 1939. Kirchschläger fought as a soldier from the very beginning of the war, first during the invasion of Poland
, later on the Western Front
and after 1941 against Russia on the Eastern Front
.
In late 1940, in order to get out of the military, he used a two-month front-leave to prepare for the final exam (Staatsexamen) of his law studies. Legend has it that he was working up to 20 hours a day, while keeping himself awake with large amounts of honey. Subsequently he passed the exams and graduated to Doctor iuris.
However, he was sent back to the Eastern Front, where he was wounded in 1942. Towards the end of war, he was captain and training-officer at the military academy at Wiener Neustadt
in the Vienna region. In early April 1945, commanding a company of cadets fighting approaching Soviet troops, he was badly wounded on his leg, an injury from which he would never fully recover.
judge
until 1954 in Langenlois
and later Vienna
. In 1954 he got the chance to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he did not speak any foreign languages. In order to take part in the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty
he taught himself English in only a few months.
From 1967 to 1970 he was ambassador in Prague
. Despite orders not to do so he issued exit visas to Czech
citizens who tried to flee from the Communists during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
. From 1970 to 1974 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs
and was elected President
of Austria in 1974. In a programmatic lecture at Innsbruck University in February 1971 he outlined his understanding of an "ethical foreign policy". His integrity as President and his diligence in exercising his office raised him to be an admired and beloved figure within Austrian politics. In 1980 he was elected for a second term with an approval rate of 80%, the highest rate ever obtained in any presidential elections. In February 1984, Kirchschläger paid the first state visit
of an Austrian President to the United States
.
- died 30 May 2009, Vienna
) from 1940 until his death; they had two children: Christa (born 1944) and Walter (born 1947).
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and, from 1974 to 1986, the eighth President of Austria.
Education and early life
Born in NiederkappelNiederkappel
Niederkappel is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria....
, Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
, Kirschläger was orphaned at the age of 11. He graduated from High School in Horn
Horn, Austria
Horn is a small town in the Waldviertel in Lower Austria, Austria and the capital of the district of the same name.2008 Austrian Cup winner SV Horn is the local soccerclub....
in 1935 with distinction and started to study law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. However, after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria in 1938, he had to give up his studies. Without joining the NSDAP, which he refused to do, his scholarship was revoked and Kirchschläger could not finance his studies any more. Kirchschläger worked as a bank clerk in 1938 until he was drafted to service in the infantry of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
in the summer of 1939. Kirchschläger fought as a soldier from the very beginning of the war, first during the invasion of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, later on the Western Front
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
and after 1941 against Russia on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
In late 1940, in order to get out of the military, he used a two-month front-leave to prepare for the final exam (Staatsexamen) of his law studies. Legend has it that he was working up to 20 hours a day, while keeping himself awake with large amounts of honey. Subsequently he passed the exams and graduated to Doctor iuris.
However, he was sent back to the Eastern Front, where he was wounded in 1942. Towards the end of war, he was captain and training-officer at the military academy at Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
in the Vienna region. In early April 1945, commanding a company of cadets fighting approaching Soviet troops, he was badly wounded on his leg, an injury from which he would never fully recover.
Post-WW2
After the war Kirchschläger worked as a districtDistrict
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
until 1954 in Langenlois
Langenlois
Langenlois is a town in the district of Krems-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Famous for its wine production, it is also home to the Loisium, a centre celebrating and advertising the local wine and built by the American deconstructionist architect Steven Holl....
and later Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1954 he got the chance to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he did not speak any foreign languages. In order to take part in the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty
Austrian State Treaty
The Austrian State Treaty or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on May 15, 1955, in Vienna at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying powers and the Austrian government...
he taught himself English in only a few months.
From 1967 to 1970 he was ambassador in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Despite orders not to do so he issued exit visas to Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
citizens who tried to flee from the Communists during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. From 1970 to 1974 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
and was elected President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Austria in 1974. In a programmatic lecture at Innsbruck University in February 1971 he outlined his understanding of an "ethical foreign policy". His integrity as President and his diligence in exercising his office raised him to be an admired and beloved figure within Austrian politics. In 1980 he was elected for a second term with an approval rate of 80%, the highest rate ever obtained in any presidential elections. In February 1984, Kirchschläger paid the first state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
of an Austrian President to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Family
He was married to Herma Sorger (born 15 May 1916, ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- died 30 May 2009, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) from 1940 until his death; they had two children: Christa (born 1944) and Walter (born 1947).
Literature
- Rudolf Kirchschläger, Der Friede beginnt im eigenen Haus. Gedanken über Österreich. ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
: Molden (1980) ISBN 3-217-01070-1 - Rudolf Kirchschläger, Ethik und Außenpolitik Hans KöchlerHans KöchlerHans Köchler is a professor of philosophy at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and president of the International Progress Organization, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations...
(ed.), Philosophie und Politik. Dokumentation eines interdisziplinären Seminars. InnsbruckInnsbruck- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Wissenschaft und Politik, pp. 69-74 (1973)