1936: Compulsory Military Service
When the Republic was proclaimed on November 12, 1918, the government relied on the People’s Guard (Volkswehr), which was, to some extent, democratically organised and had minimal impact. The Treaty of Saint Germain reduced the Austrian army to 30,000 men and prohibited them from using heavy artillery and aircrafts. Under War Minister Carl Vougoin, the army was recruited through enlistment on the basis of the Conscription Law of 1920. In addition to protecting the borders, the army could be deployed for disaster relief and to maintain peace and order by decision of the federal government.
In light of the real threat of Nazi Germany, there was a secretive rearmament in 1933/34, and on April 1, 1936 conscription was reintroduced under the name of federal compulsory service, without international critique of this breach of the peace treaty. At the same time, Chief of Staff Alfred Jansa developed a plan for territorial defense aimed at slowing down a German invasion in order to facilitate an international response.
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