Radicalisation of Politics

The First World War had strongly shaken up the social fabric. Not only had it lowered the threshold for the use of violence, it also created a situation throughout the entire inter-war period in which the state no longer exercised a monopoly over the use of force. Immediately after the end of the war, so-called Heimatwehren formed in villages as a means of self-protection and also as protection against looting or to be employed in contentious border issues. These paramilitary units joined forces to create the Heimwehr (Home Guard), which saw social democracy as its utmost enemy in domestic politics. In response, the Republikanischer Schutzbund (Republican Protection League) emerged from the guarded formations of the Social Democratic Party. At their peak, both military units had together recruited 18,000 men, while in the regular army, the Bundesheer, there were only 30,000 men.

Marches, demonstrations and counter-demonstrations often led to bloody clashes. Politics were also exercised on the streets, namely in an attempt to dominate public space.