Walter Riehl
Encyclopedia
Dr. Walter Riehl was an Austria
n lawyer and politician who was an early exponent of Austrian National Socialism
.
, Riehl was initially a disciple of conservative
philosopher Othmar Spann
. Despite this he joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
(DAP) in 1908. As a DAP member representing the middle classes he advocated a name change and a broadening of membership away from simply the working classes. He eventually became leader of the renamed Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei (DNSAP) immediately after the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
As leader Riehl moved the DNSAP, which had mainly been an anti-Czech party towards anti-Semitism
. He sought to blame Austria's problems on the Jews and wanted them expelled from the country. He also supported profit sharing and land reform. and also sought to build up the party in universities, setting up a German Academic Association of National Socialists as early as June 1919. Riehl was not a supporter of union with Germany
but nonetheless he accepted a subservient role to Adolf Hitler
at an early stage, referring to him "unseren reichsdeutschen führer" (our German Reich leader) in 1922. Certainly contact was established between the two very early and Carsten has suggested that Hitler added the epithet 'National Socialist' to his German Workers Party in imitation of Riehl's movement. Riehl remained as leader of the DNSAP until 1923 when it split between the pro-Hitler and pro-independence factions. Riehl took charge of the pro-independence Deutschsozialen Verein wing of the party with Karl Schulz leading the Hitlerite group.
at his trial for the murder of Hugo Bettauer
. His involvement in the trial heped him to regain prestige in the DNSAP after resigning from the leadership following the schisms of 1923. Riehl gained notoriety for his defences of right wing leaders in a number of cases and in the aftermath of the Schattendorf Incident it was he who secured the acquittal of the accused rightist leaders.
He returned to a prominent position within the party and used this influence to again promote his anti-Semitic agenda. In 1931 he called for castration
for any Jewish man caught having sex with an Aryan
girl and when elected to Vienna
council the following year he made a further call for expulsion of the Jews from the area. Indeed for Riehl anti-Semitism was the entire basis of the Nazis' appeal in Austria, along with their anti-communism
.
and Alfred Frauenfeld
, in particular the botched putsch of 1934 which resulted in the murder of Engelbert Dollfuss
. Briefly held in detention by the Gestapo
after the Anschluss
he then attempted to join the Nazi Party but was rejected on account of his shaky record on supporting union with Germany
.
He disappeared from the public eye after this and died in Vienna
.
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 lawyer and politician who was an early exponent of Austrian National Socialism
Austrian National Socialism
Austrian National Socialism was a Pan-German movement that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The movement took a concrete form on November 15, 1903 when the German Worker's Party was established in Austria with its secretariat stationed in the town of Aussig...
.
DNSAP
A native of Wiener NeustadtWiener 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...
, Riehl was initially a disciple of conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
philosopher Othmar Spann
Othmar Spann
Othmar Spann was a conservative Austrian philosopher, sociologist and economist whose radical anti-liberal and anti-Socialist views, based on early 19th century Romantic ideas expressed by Adam Müller et al...
. Despite this he joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
German Workers' Party (Austria-Hungary)
----The German Workers' Party in Austria-Hungary is the predecessor of the Austrian and Czechoslovak Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei , founded on 14 November 1903, in Aussig , Bohemia...
(DAP) in 1908. As a DAP member representing the middle classes he advocated a name change and a broadening of membership away from simply the working classes. He eventually became leader of the renamed Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei (DNSAP) immediately after the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
As leader Riehl moved the DNSAP, which had mainly been an anti-Czech party towards anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. He sought to blame Austria's problems on the Jews and wanted them expelled from the country. He also supported profit sharing and land reform. and also sought to build up the party in universities, setting up a German Academic Association of National Socialists as early as June 1919. Riehl was not a supporter of 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...
but nonetheless he accepted a subservient role to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
at an early stage, referring to him "unseren reichsdeutschen führer" (our German Reich leader) in 1922. Certainly contact was established between the two very early and Carsten has suggested that Hitler added the epithet 'National Socialist' to his German Workers Party in imitation of Riehl's movement. Riehl remained as leader of the DNSAP until 1923 when it split between the pro-Hitler and pro-independence factions. Riehl took charge of the pro-independence Deutschsozialen Verein wing of the party with Karl Schulz leading the Hitlerite group.
Return to favour
Riehl's profile fell somewhat after the split as the pro-Germany wing won the lion's share of support. However Riehl would come back into favour in 1925 when he defended Otto RothstockOtto Rothstock
Otto Rothstock was the assassin of Hugo Bettauer.As a young member of the Nazi party, Rothstock was enraged by Bettauer's satire of Nazi anti-semitism in his popular work, The City Without Jews. On March 10, 1925 Rothstock entered Bettauer's office and shot him five times at point-blank range...
at his trial for the murder of Hugo Bettauer
Hugo Bettauer
Hugo Bettauer , born Maximilian Hugo Bettauer, was a prolific Austrian writer and journalist, who was murdered by a Nazi Party follower on account of his controversial views...
. His involvement in the trial heped him to regain prestige in the DNSAP after resigning from the leadership following the schisms of 1923. Riehl gained notoriety for his defences of right wing leaders in a number of cases and in the aftermath of the Schattendorf Incident it was he who secured the acquittal of the accused rightist leaders.
He returned to a prominent position within the party and used this influence to again promote his anti-Semitic agenda. In 1931 he called for castration
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
for any Jewish man caught having sex with an Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
girl and when elected to 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...
council the following year he made a further call for expulsion of the Jews from the area. Indeed for Riehl anti-Semitism was the entire basis of the Nazis' appeal in Austria, along with their anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
.
Later years
Despite his extreme views on the Jews, Riehl was more committed to constitutional methods than some of his DNSAP colleagues and he became a critic of some of the group's excesses. He was especially critical of the leadership of Theodor HabichtTheodor Habicht
Theodor Habicht was a leading political figure in Nazi Germany. He played a leading role in the Austrian movement.-Early years:...
and Alfred Frauenfeld
Alfred Frauenfeld
Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld was an Austrian Nazi leader. An engineer by occupation, he was associated with the pro-Nazi Germany wing of Austrian Nazism.-Activism in Austria:...
, in particular the botched putsch of 1934 which resulted in the murder of 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...
. Briefly held in detention by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
he then attempted to join the Nazi Party but was rejected on account of his shaky record on supporting 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...
.
He disappeared from the public eye after this and died 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...
.