Fatherland's Front (Austria)
Encyclopedia
The Vaterländische Front (VF, English
: Fatherland's Front also translated as Patriotic Front ) was a right-wing, austrofascist Austria
n political party. It was founded in 1933 by Engelbert Dollfuss
to collect all "loyal Austrians" under one banner. After the prohibition of all other political parties, the VF held a monopolistic position in Austrian politics with both civilian and military divisions.
In spite of the efforts of Dollfuss, the VF never became a mass movement. By the end of 1937 it had 3 million members (with 6.5 million inhabitants of Austria); it could not win the support of its political opponents (from the circles of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
and the Nazi Party). The party was banned after the Anschluss
(annexation of Austria to Germany) in March 1938.
The symbol of the VF was the crutch cross (Kruckenkreuz), and its official greeting was Front heil!.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Fatherland's Front also translated as Patriotic Front ) was a right-wing, austrofascist Austria
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 political party. It was founded in 1933 by Engelbert Dollfuss
Engelbert Dollfuss
Engelbert Dollfuss was an Austrian Christian Social and Patriotic Front statesman. Serving previously as Minister for Forest and Agriculture, he ascended to Federal Chancellor in 1932 in the midst of a crisis for the conservative government...
to collect all "loyal Austrians" under one banner. After the prohibition of all other political parties, the VF held a monopolistic position in Austrian politics with both civilian and military divisions.
In spite of the efforts of Dollfuss, the VF never became a mass movement. By the end of 1937 it had 3 million members (with 6.5 million inhabitants of Austria); it could not win the support of its political opponents (from the circles of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
and the Nazi Party). The party was banned after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
(annexation of Austria to Germany) in March 1938.
The symbol of the VF was the crutch cross (Kruckenkreuz), and its official greeting was Front heil!.