The First Austrian Republic was established in 1919 following the collapse of the Austria-Hungary Empire after World War I. This period marked a significant change in Austrian history, transitioning from a monarchical system to a democratic republic.
The republic was officially proclaimed on November 12, 1918, after the abdication of Emperor Charles I of Austria. The new government was led by a coalition of Social Democrats, Christian Socials, and German Nationalists. On October 21, 1919, the Republic was declared by the Provisional National Assembly, and on November 10, 1920, the new Constitution was adopted.
Post-war Austria faced numerous challenges:
Despite the economic turmoil, the First Republic saw:
The First Austrian Republic came to an end with the rise of Austrofascism in the early 1930s. Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in 1933 suspended the Parliament and established an authoritarian regime, which was later succeeded by the Federal State of Austria until the Anschluss with Nazi Germany in 1938.