Democratic Party of Austria Demokratische Partei Österreichs | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Franz Knapitsch Josef Ostertschnig |
| Founded | 14 July 1945 |
| Dissolved | 1949 |
| Headquarters | Klagenfurt |
| Newspaper | Der Demokratie Montags-Kurier |
| Ideology | Liberalism Regionalism |
The Democratic Party of Austria (German: Demokratische Partei Österreichs; DPÖ), was a short-lived political party in Austria between 1945 and 1949.
History
The Democratic Party of Austria was founded on 14 July 1945 as a liberal party focused on regional development of Carinthia.
Although the party had a liberal program, the party is made up of liberals, monarchistic Habsburg Roylists and National Socialists. This ideological clash is one of the main reasons for the failure of the party.
In 1946, several members were arrested because they were members of the NSDAP and the SS. The party then tries to get rid of the Nazi wing, but this remains in place until the end of the party.
In the 1949 Austrian legislative election, the leadership of the party endorsed Austrian People's Party and subsequently dissolved.[1][2]
The National Socialists switch to the FPÖ or are no longer politically active. The Liberals switch to SPÖ and monarchistic Roylists switch ÖVP.