Johann Schober was an 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 police officer who served three times as Chancellor of Austria

Chancellor of Austria

The Federal Chancellor is the head of government in Austria. Its deputy is the Vice-Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria. The Federal Chancellor is considered to be the most powerful political position in Austrian politics.-Appointment:The...

 (his initial term being interrupted by two days in office for Walter Breisky

Walter Breisky

Walter Breisky was an Austrian Beamter and politician.A member of the Christian Social Party, he served as Vice-Chancellor of Austria and Minister of the Interior from 1920 to 1922...

).

Early career

Schober served with the Austrian police becoming President in 1918 immediately prior to the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy

Habsburg Monarchy

The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...

. Schober maintained loyalty to Austria after the breakup of Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

 but also ensured a safe passage for the royal family out of the country, winning praise for his moderation and his role in a smooth transfer of power into the bargain.

Largely considered a safe pair of hands by the Allies

Allies of World War I

The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...

, he was chosen to head a coalition government in 1921 with the support of the Christian Social Party and the Greater German People's Party

Greater German People's Party

The Greater German People's Party was a German nationalist and national liberal party during the First Republic of Austria.-Foundation:...

. Combining his head of government role with that of Foreign Minister of Austria

Foreign Minister of Austria

The Foreign Minister of Austria is responsible for handling Austria's foreign policy.-Under the First Austrian Republic:* Victor Adler* Otto Bauer* Karl Renner* Michael Mayr* Johann Schober* Walter Breisky* Leopold Hennet* Alfred Grünberger...

, he concluded the Treaty of Lány with Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, although this brought about the downfall of his government as the Pan-Germans saw agreements with Czechoslovakia as a bar to a future union with 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...

.

Interpol

Schrober gained international recognition for his work in police administration, becoming known as the "Father of Interpol

Interpol

Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...

". In his role as President of the Police in Vienna, Schrober convened, in 1923, the second International Criminal Police Congress in his home city, attracting representative from nineteen different countries to the event. At the meeting it was agreed that the participants should set up a body to be known as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC), draw up a ten article constitution for the body and continue working towards the aims set down at the first congress that had been held in Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

 in 1914. Austira had offered to both host and finance the event and so Vienna was chosen as the congress site, whilst Austria's police enjoyed a strong reputation for their work on keeping records on international criminals at that time. Schorber was chosen as President of the Executive Committee whilst his countryman Dr Oskar Dressler, a noted lawyer and at the time the Austrian Federal Police chief, became Secretary to the International Police Congress.

July Revolt

With his governing coalition ended Schober returned to his role as President of police, although his reputation for moderation was hit hard in July 1927 when his orders resulted in the deaths of almost 100 labour protestors

July Revolt of 1927

During the Austrian July Revolt of 1927 Austrian police forces killed 84 protesters, while four policemen died. More than 600 people were injured....

 in 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...

. The noted satirist Karl Kraus

Karl Kraus

Karl Kraus was an Austrian writer and journalist, known as a satirist, essayist, aphorist, playwright and poet. He is regarded as one of the foremost German-language satirists of the 20th century, especially for his witty criticism of the press, German culture, and German and Austrian...

 was so incensed by the police actions that he started a poster campaign calling for Schober's resignation.

Chancellor

Schober returned as Chancellor-Foreign Minister from September 1929 to September 1930 and then Vice-Chancellor-Foreign Minister from December 1930 to January 1932, successively serving Carl Vaugoin, Otto Ender

Otto Ender

Otto Ender was an Austrian political figure. He served as the chancellor of Austria between 1930 and 1931.-Early life and education:...

 and Karl Buresch

Karl Buresch

Karl Buresch was a lawyer, Christian-Social politician and chancellor of Austria during the First Republic.- Education :...

. In March 1931 he agreed a Customs union

Customs union

A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...

 with Germany, although pressure from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Czechoslovakia saw the plan vetoed.

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