The Republikanischer Schutzbund (German: Republican Defense League) was a paramilitary organization established in 1923 by the Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs (SDAPÖ) (German: Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria)[1] to secure power in the face of rising political radicalization after World War I.
Origins & Development
The Republikanischer Schutzbund was one of many paramilitary forces to organize after the fall of the Habsburg Empire, mainly for protection of borders. This one in particular was a branch of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAPÖ). Its purpose was to defend the party and to maintain the balance of power amidst increasing radicalization of politics in Austria. This includes a good amount of saber rattling between the Schutzbund and the conservative Heimwehr, as encouraged by the SDAPÖ newspaper, the Arbeiter Zeitung[2] .
July Revolt of 1927
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On January 30 of 1927, a veterans' group clashed with the Schutzbund, leaving one veteran and one child were killed by the right-wing Heimwehr[3]. The results of the trial led to the July Revolt of 1927
Austrian Civil War
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By June of 1933, Federal Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuß banned the Schutzbund, forcing it underground[4]. On February 11th, 1934, the Heimwehr commander in Vienna Emil Fey called for the disarmament of the Schutzbund. Upon raiding Hotel Schiff in Linz, the Linz Schutzbund commander Richard Bernaschek actively resisted, resulting in armed conflict known as the Austrian Civil War[5] .
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