Nazism and the working class in Austria : industrial unrest and political dissent in the "national community"

The image of Hitler as a demagogic "pied piper" leading astray the "little people" of Austria is as misleading as it is powerful. Nazism and the Working Class in Austria is a case study of the ambiguous relationship between state and society under the Nazis. Workers did not seriously attempt or even expect to overthrow the Nazi regime in the face of unprecedented surveillance and terror; but neither were they converted, and their oppositional strategies and disgruntled political opinions reveal a truculent workforce, rather than one that was contented and converted. Contents Tables Acknowledgements Introduction Peculiarities of Austrian historiography 1 Austrian fascisms, ‘Austrofascism’ and the working class The radical Right before 1914 Civil war and the establishment of dictatorship 1932-1934 Dictatorship and opposition I934“I938 2 Economic integration and political opposition between the Anschluss and the war Problems of political resistance 1938-1939 Unkept promises and incipient disaffection: problems Popular disappointment and developments in labour discipline 3 The war economy and the changing workforce 1939-1945 Securing a supply of foreign labour Women 4 Work discipline in the war economy War economy measures Work discipline among foreign workers 5 Popular opinion and political protest in working-class communities Anti-Nazi propaganda and dissenting opinion The standard of living and civilian morale Towards demoralisation and defeat A ‘national community*? Conclusion Notes Select bibliography Index The image of Hitler as a demagogic 'pied piper' leading astray the 'little people' of Austria is as misleading as it is powerful. Nazism and the Working Class in Austria is a case study of the ambiguous relationship between state and society in Austria under the Nazis. It places the experience of Austrian industrial workers in the Third Reich in a broader historical context, from the origins of the earliest 'national socialist' movements in the backwaters of the Habsburg empire to the end of the Second World War. Workers did not seriously attempt or even expect to overthrow the Nazi regime in the face of unprecedented surveillance and terror; but neither were they converted, and their oppositional strategies and disgruntled political opinions reveal a truculent workforce, rather than one that was contented and converted The history of modern Australian politics has generally been described in terms of three broad political movements or 'camps' (Lager): the labour movement, the 'Catholic-conservative' camp and the 'national-liberal' camp.