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Ditto Pölzl

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August Pölzl (28 June 1907 – 15 April 1994), known as Ditto Pölzl, was an Austrian politician. He was a prominent leftist figure in the Styrian Social Democracy and trade union leader. He joined the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) in 1934, and represented the party in the Styrian provisional state governments after World War II as well as the state parliament until 1957. He broke his ties with the KPÖ in 1957.

Life and career edit

Youth and entry into politics edit

Pölzl was born in Eggenberg on 28 June 1907.[1][2][3] He became politically active during his youth,[2] and spent time as the leader of the Socialist Workers Youth (SAJ) in Graz.[4] In 1921, he became an apprentice at Wagner Biró AG (where he would become a trade union representative).[3][5][6] He joined the Social Democratic Workers Party of Austria (SDAPÖ) at the age of 18,[1] within which he was a leading figure in the left-wing opposition in Styria.[5] In 1932, he took part in building the Jungfront movement, and in Graz he worked with Otto Fischer and Willy Scholz to challenge the party leadership control over the Jungfront.[7] That year, he joined the municipal council of Eggenberg, which he would remain a member of until 1934.[3][5][6]

Civil war, exile and World War II edit

Pölzl fought in the 1934 February Uprising on the side of the Republikanischer Schutzbund,[1][6] after which he joined the KPÖ in Vienna.[1][5][6] He escaped to the Soviet Union together with Ernst Fischer;[5][6] after returning to Austria in February 1935, he was arrested,[5] and was detained from April to July 1935 (or until December 1935 per other sources).[5][3] Pölzl went into exile but was able to return to Austria,[3] and was living in Graz in 1938.[2] He was under surveillance by the Gestapo between 1938 and 1945, and he was arrested a number of times.[3]

Post-War Styrian politics edit

Pölzl was a member of all three provisional Styrian state governments formed in 1945,[8] the first of which was formed under the leadership of Social Democratic politician Reinhard Machold [de] on 8 May 1945, before the arrival of the Red Army. His role in this was that of a trade union representative, rather than representing the KPÖ as such.[9] He was responsible for Arts, Culture and Education from 15 May to 28 December 1945;[3][9][5] upon taking the post, he ordered the immediate reopening of the Graz theaters.[10] He contributed with texts to the Grazer Antifaschistischen Volkszeitung ('Graz Anti-Fascist People's Newspaper').[11]

Pölzl remained in his post after the British takeover of Styria on 24 July 1945 and the formation of a new provisional state government on 7 August 1945 (in which the British military authorities reduced the share of communist government members from three to two).[9] He became the president of the provisional board of the Musical Association of Styria [de], an entity whose role worried the British military authorities during the autumn of 1945.[10][12] He would later serve as vice president of the same association.[12]

Pölzl was elected to the Styrian state parliament [de] (landtag) in 1945, where he became one of two KPÖ deputees in Styria and one of 15 KPÖ state parliament deputies across Austria,[9] holding the former role from 12 December 1945 to 18 March 1957.[1][5][13] In the late 1940s, he was the vice president of the Styrian Chamber for Workers and Employees.[9]

Breaking with the Communist Party edit

Pölzl was a member of the KPÖ Central Committee between 1946 and 1957.[3] Between autumn 1946 and January 1947, he and many of its other members called for the party to resign from the Austrian government. Pölzl felt that the party should have prioritized mass struggles rather than government participation, and he and the other critics were worried that the role of the party in the government would alienate the grassroots of the party. Pölzl also argued that a trade union representative at a major corporation would be more valuable for the party than a government minister.[9]

Pölzl and Willy Scholz demonstratively resigned from the KPÖ 17th party congress, which was held between 28 and 31 March 1957.[14] Pölzl's resignation occured in the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.[5] He rejoined the Social Democratic Party in 1967.[6] Pölzl died on 15 April 1994 after a brief period of severe illness.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stenographischer Bericht: Sitzung des Steiermärkischen Landtages. Steiermark Landtag. Steiermärkische Landesdruckerei. p. 2433
  2. ^ a b c Elfriede Schmidt. 1938-- and the Consequences: Questions and Responses : Interviews. Ariadne Press, 1992. p. 207
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Protokolle des Ministerrates der Zweiten Republik: 16. April 1946 bis 9. Julil 1946. Verlag Österreich, 2004. p. 670
  4. ^ Wolfgang Neugebauer. [Bauvolk der kommenden Welt: Geschichte d. sozialistischen Jugendbewegung in Österreich]. Europaverl., 1975. pp. 133, 308
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kurt Bauer. Kurzbiografien bekannter linker Anhaltehäftlinge 1933–1938
  6. ^ a b c d e f Historisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Graz, Vol. 25. Stadtmuseum Graz, 1968. pp. 127, 137
  7. ^ Rabinbach, Anson. Politics and Pedagogy: The Austrian Social Democratic Youth Movement 1931-32. Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 13, no. 2, 1978, pp. 337–56
  8. ^ Österreich in Geschichte und Literatur, Vol. 40-41. Stiasny Verlag, 1996. p. 157
  9. ^ a b c d e f Manfred Mugrauer. Die Politik der KPÖ 1945–1955: Von der Regierungsbank in die innenpolitische Isolation. V&R Unipress, 2020. pp. 87-88, 93, 154, 465
  10. ^ a b Alfred Ableitinger, Dieter A. Binder. Steiermark: die Überwindung der Peripherie. Böhlau Verlag Wien, 2002. pp. 49, 584
  11. ^ Karin Gradwohl-Schlacher. „STUNDE NULL“ FÜR STEIRISCHE AUTOREN? LITERARISCHER WIEDERAUFBAU IN GRAZ 1945/46. Graz 1945. Historisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Graz. 25 (1994), pp. 421-441.
  12. ^ a b Harald Kaufmann. Eine bürgerliche Musikgesellschaft: 150 Jahre Musikverein für Steiermark. Universitäts-Buchdruckerei Styria, 1965. pp. 151, 168
  13. ^ Josef Rauchenberger. Stichwort Bundesländer - Bundesrat: Wahlen und Vertretungskörper der Länder von 1945 bis 2000. PR-Verlag, 2000. p. 663
  14. ^ Walter Baier. Das kurze Jahrhundert: Kommunismus in Österreich, KPÖ 1918 bis 2008. Edition Steinbauer, 2009. p. 119
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