Socialist Youth Austria
Sozialistische Jugend Österreich (SJÖ)
ChairpersonPaul Stich[1]
Founded4 November 1894 (4 November 1894)[2][3]
HeadquartersAmtshausgasse 4, A-1050
Vienna, Austria
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Marxism[4]
Antimilitarism[5][6]
Antifascism[7][8]
Anti-capitalism[9][10]
Feminism[11][12]
Mother partySozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ)
International affiliationInternational Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
European affiliationYoung European Socialists (YES)
Websitesjoe.at

The Socialist Youth Austria (German: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich, SJÖ) is the largest socialist youth organisation in Austria. Founded in 1894 as a club for apprentice protection, it was initially called Association of Young Workers (German: Verein Jugendlicher Arbeiter, VJA).[13] While not part of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), there is a close relationship between the two organisations.

The basic program of the organisation adopted in 2004 is based on scientific socialism[14] and Marxism, which positions it to the left of its social democratic mother party.

The SJÖ is member of the Young European Socialists (YES) and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY), which has its headquarters in the same building as the SJÖ.

Structure

The Socialist Youth is present in all nine federal states through state organizations, which are further subdivided into local and district groups. Their political activities include educational work, such as group meetings of district and local groups, as well as political seminars like BIWE[15], ANTIFA[16], and FEMSEM[17]. Additionally, they engage in political activism. During elections, the Socialist Youth frequently puts forth its own candidates and actively gathers preferential votes for them. Since the National Council election in 2019, the Socialist Youth has been represented by its former chairwoman, Julia Herr.

Not all state organizations adopt the name "Sozialistische Jugend". The Salzburg state organization is known as "Junge SozialistInnen", abbreviated as "Jusos", while the Carinthia state organization is identified as "SJG – Die junge Sozialdemokratie." The term "SJG" originated from the amalgamation of "Sozialistische Jugend (SJ)" and "Junge Generation (JG)" (the SPÖ youth equivalent of the SJÖ) in Carinthia[18]. Likewise, the state organizations in Tyrol and Salzburg result from the merging of SJ and JG. A parallel scenario occurred in Burgenland from 1995 to 2002 when, driven by the SPÖ, SJ and JG merged into "Juso Burgenland" ("Junge Sozialdemokratie"). Since 2002, the state organization has reverted to SJ Burgenland, and the Burgenland JG no longer exists. In Styria, the transition from "Jusos" to "Sozialistische Jugend Steiermark" occurred during the 2005 state conference, while in Tyrol, the change was finalized during the 2013 state conference.

Chairpersons of all nine federal state organizations[19]:

History

Beginnings

In 1893, reports surfaced about two youth groups active in the Viennese districts of Ottakring and Hernals. The Ottakringer group "Bücherskorpion" and the Hernalser group "Jugendbund" engaged in collective learning, reading, spelling exercises, and lectures on revolutionary works, gradually delving into social and political issues due to their daily experiences and hardships as apprentices. A joint event of the two youth groups led to the idea of forming a united association. With support from labor movement officials, organizational and substantive work began. On June 3, 1894, a founding assembly was held in Ottakring, leading to the formation of a committee tasked with drafting statutes and obtaining approval for the association's establishment from the authorities. Finally, on November 4, 1894, the Association of Young Workers was officially founded.

The establishment of the association laid the groundwork for addressing the problems and demands of young people within the Social Democratic Party (SDAPÖ). Despite initial resistance from parts of the party and unions, the Socialist Youth movement quickly became a vital element of the Austrian labor force. Young activists protested against the mistreatment of apprentices, facing opposition through the creation of "Black Lists" by guilds and the exclusion of prominent speakers and politically active individuals from apprenticeships. In 1897, a protest with more than 500 participants expressed discontent over the delayed approval of the association's statutes. The authorities could no longer prevent the new statute, and in rapid succession, local groups emerged in most districts of Vienna. Among the first were Leopoldstadt, Margareten, Meidling, Favoriten, Ottakring, and Brigittenau. In later years, groups formed in all districts of Vienna. It wasn't until 1901 that a second Association of Young Workers was founded in Graz, Styria.

Soon after, the youth actively participated in all party and union events. Despite occasional resistance and misunderstandings, there were genuine supporters and advocates for youth work within the party. At various congresses, youth representatives worked towards gaining acceptance for their activities from the Social Democratic Party. By 1903, most of the party resistance had been overcome, leading to a resolution at the SDAPÖ congress to actively support the youth movement. The subsequent 1907 party congress solidified the status of the youth movement by incorporating it into the party's statute.[20]

"Der jugendliche Arbeiter"

"Der jugendliche Arbeiter" from January 1932

As there was no dedicated means of relaying information, the association was forced to hand out laboriously crafted and manually reproduced pamphlets, limiting the potential of rapid expansion. There were many suggestions and discussions to solve this problem, but all attempts initially failed due to financial constraints. In 1901, the Margareten group established a private "Preßfond", for the potential founding of a newspaper. In the same year, the Viennese Association of Young Workers decided to create an official press fund in greater scale. Thus, on October 15, 1902, the first issue of the newspaper "Der jugendliche Arbeiter" (English: The Young Worker) was published.

Intermittently disrupted during the fascist period, the Austrian Workers' Youth has had a information tool in the media since then. The newspaper was sent to the then-independent associations, establishing close contact between individual functionaries and members. The question of financing was a persistent challenge. The founding conference of the association in 1903 decided to make the magazine the association's official organ, thereby establishing the responsibility of all branches of the organization for the newspaper.

The new newspaper primarily reported on practical apprentice issues but did not neglect important educational and cultural work. It successfully engaged prominent party leaders, including Leopold Winarsky, for popular "commemorative articles" or short biographies of great figures in socialism.[21]

National Expansion

In 1903, the Viennese officials decided it was time for a nationwide association. Thus, on March 13, 1903, the founding conference of the Association of Youth Workers in Austria took place. Its chairman was Anton Jenschik from 1903 to 1918, until the end of First World War. Two prominent and influential figures to the association were Robert Danneberg and Leopold Winarsky. By the outbreak of World War I, the organization had grown to more than 16,000 members. The association congress formulated the following list of demands, which would significantly influence the further political development of the organization:

  1. The apprenticeship period, including any possible probationary period, must not exceed two years.
  2. A maximum working day of eight hours for all individuals under 18 years.
  3. A 36-hour uninterrupted complete Sunday rest without clauses for all individuals under 18 years.
  4. Abolition of the right to physical punishment.
  5. Regulation of job placement.
  6. State support for unemployed apprentices.
  7. Gratuitous legal protection.
  8. Employment of dedicated apprentice inspectors.
  9. Prohibition of apprentices being used for domestic or any non-industrial work.
  10. Mandatory introduction of daily classes in all industrial preparatory, advanced, and technical schools, with strict punishment for masters hindering their apprentices from attending these schools.
  11. Arrest or significant fines for masters violating any of the mentioned provisions.

This resolution, adopted with similar content in all conferences until the establishment of the First Republic, served as the foundation for the association's subsequent political initiatives and projects.[22]

The Youth International

Around the turn of the century, apprentice systems in other European countries mirrored those in Austria, giving rise to apprentice clubs, like the VJA, and youth groups in countries like Germany, Scandinavia, and France. The aftermath of the international congress of socialist parties in Stuttgart in 1907 saw representatives from various workers' youth organizations convening for the inaugural international conference of the Socialist Youth. Karl Liebknecht assumed the role of chairman, and Robert Danneberg became the secretary, establishing Vienna as the seat of the international secretariat. This first attempt at working together internationally among youth groups had three clear goals to fight against militarism, exploitation, and alcoholism. Key objectives included preventing future wars and enlightening youth about the nature of militarism.

A pivotal moment unfolded in 1912 when girls and young women gained the right to become members of the VJA, marking a significant development. Despite prioritizing the fight against militarism at the forefront of the political agenda, the youth organizations, including the Austrian and German Social Democrats, were unable to prevent the outbreak of the First World War. The war's onset saw nationalist sentiment sweeping through Europe, with patriotism surging in Germany, France, and Austria.[23]

First Republic

The fall of the monarchy and the dissolution of the empire at the end of the First World War was followed with the proclamation of the First Austrian Republic on September 10, 1919. This ignited a revolutionary mood that swept through the entire population. The old regime with the despised k.u.k. administration had collapsed, ushering in a time when long overdue reforms with a revolutionary character could be realized. Karl Renner, a renowned socialist, headed the provisional government, with Karl Seitz becoming the Mayor of Vienna. Universal suffrage, extending to women as equal citizens, became a reality. The implementation of an 8-hour workday and internal leave for workers was implemented, and workers gained the right to elect their councils in the workplace.

The youth movement actively participated in this transformative period, achieving numerous reforms in the early days of the First Republic. Through a coordinated effort, Viennticnese apprees successfully brought down a relic from the k.u.k. era on March 2, 1919. Triggered by a citywide strike of Viennese apprentices, new laws were swiftly enacted. Subsequently, school administrations in other regions followed suit. The 5th congress not only marked a long overdue generational change disrupted by First World War but also sparked the expansion of the organization. In 1919, the organization changed its name to match the developments in Austrian Social Democracy during the First Republic. It became a genuine large organization for young workers, called the "Sozialistische Arbeiter Jugend (SAJ)" (English: Socialist Worker Youth). By 1923, it had 38,000 members, and even in 1932, despite facing pressure from reactionaries, it still had 28,000 members in 528 groups. New, less political forms of organization and culture, such as hiking, dancing, camps, etc., were introduced to better capture and integrate the youth into the organization. The prevention of youth depoliticization was solely attributed to the overt class contradictions between the workers and the capital. With its attacks on the social achievements of the labor movement, the capital targeted the socialist youth, and during this time, 55 out of 100 male members and 52 out of 100 female members of the SAJ were unemployed.

The strength of the SAJ primarily lay in the high level of its content work, discussions, and training, as well as its organizational prowess. This made it the leading force in supporting both parliamentary and extraparliamentary struggles of the youth for their social rights. Internal discourse during these years revolved around whether the politically combative line, represented by individuals like Manfred Ackermann, or the socialist cultural and educational work, advocated by Felix Kanitz, should take precedence within the framework of a political youth movement. In the "directional dispute" of 1926, Felix Kanitz emerged as the "victor". However, the Socialist Workers Youth still remained a heavily politicized organization.[24]

Advance of Fascism

Against the backdrop of Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany, the SAJ began preparations for illegal activities for the first time. A telling example of the reactionary nature of Austria's bourgeois parties at the time is the ban of the screening of Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" in 1931. The Viennese Socialist Youth had to embark on journeys by train to Pressburg to view the film. The signs of the decline of Austrian democracy had begone for those who were willing to observe.

Months prior to the February 12, 1934 Civil War, or "February Uprising", the commencement of the armed conflict between Austro-fascism led by Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, his paramilitary Heimwehren, and the Austrian workers movement, discussions on forms of resistance and underground struggle were already underway within the SAJ. The ban of the SDAPÖ and the dismantling of its structures, including youth organizations, prompted a complete reorientation of the organization. The mass organization was transitioned into a covert underground organization. Its objectives were clear: defending the socialist spirit in youth against the intellectual terror of the fascists, encompassing both the Heimwehren and the National Socialists, through training and education; and mobilizing against the severe deterioration of the social situation of the Socialist Workers Youth through illegal pamphlet campaigns.

Revolotuionary Socialist Youth

The "Revolutionary Socialists" emerged as a successor organization from the prohibited SDAPÖ, and from the SAJ, the "Revolutionäre Sozialistische Jugend (RSJ)" (English: Revolotuionary Socialist Youth). The RSJ could largely draw on the youth functionaries from the SAJ, as most of them were unemployed and did not want to lose the socialist youth community that had given their lives a self determined purpose.

Together with the Revolutionary Socialists, the RSJ attempted to take a mediating position between the reformist social democratic and the communist oriented worker movements. They supported Otto Bauer's concept of "Integral Socialism". Bauer suggested that socialists and communists should reunite, as they did before the First World, in a single party. Bauer acknowledged that this unity was complicated, more than a mere mechanical addition. Integral Socialism was meant to be a synthesis of the revolutionary-turned-social democratic reformism and the democratically evolved revolutionary Bolshevism.

Many young socialists paid a high price for their involvement in the resistance movement after 1934, facing severe prison sentences or even death. For instance, Josef Gerl, a functionary of the Vienna RSJ, was executed on July 24, 1934. The Austrofascist Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss had previously rejected a pardon request for Gerl. The Dollfuss regime falsely accused him of detonating explosives during an armed gendarme attack on a social democratic memorial event, which was proven untrue. "The idea means more to me than my life," Gerl shouted to his executioners before he was executed, expressing what all young revolutionary socialists felt who stood in the resistance struggle. Nevertheless, RSJ members openly proclaimed their socialist convictions in flash rallies, newspaper articles, and even in court. The first two leaders of the RSJ, Roman Felleis, who was murdered in a concentration camp in 1945, and the later party chairman and Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, were among the bravest speakers in the major Socialist trial of 1936. In this trial, Kreisky stated, "I have already said that I am still a socialist. Neither the government's actions nor the attentive reading of non-socialist and anti-Marxist works have suggested any solution other than socialism to me. I continue to believe that class struggle is the only means of liberating the working class." With the invasion of Hitler's army into Austria in March 1938, both the Revolutionary Socialists and the RSJ ceased their activities. The terror against progressive forces was far more brutal under the Nazis than under the Austrofascists. Nevertheless, some socialists worked in resistance groups, and many of them, including the last leaders of the RSJ, the couple Hans Kunks and Stefanie Kunks, paid with their lives for their engagement in resistance and underground activities.

Socialist Youth - International (SJI)

In the years of persecution and isolation of the Revolutionary Socialist Youth in Austria, the support from the international socialist movement naturally played a significant role. Particularly, the material assistance generously provided by the Sudeten German and other associations, along with the diverse ways of political and moral support, proved to be extremely valuable. In contrast, the political importance and effectiveness of the SJl remained rather low.

The Executive Committee and Bureau meetings, as well as the congresses (in Copenhagen, August 1935, and in Lille, August 1939), were marked by intense conflicts reflecting the divisions and issues of the international socialist movement at that time. "The socialist Internationals," later remarked the Austrian Revolutionary Socialist Joseph Buttinger critically, "continued their social democratic course undeterred by all the upheavals of the time, and their effective impact was then, as before, close to zero." Against the dominance of the right-wing majority in the SJl (Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and others), which also included the chairpersons (Koos Vorrink 1932-1935, Hans Christian Hansen 1935-1939, Torsten Nilsson from 1939), the secretary (Erich Ollenhauer), and most of the Bureau and Executive Committee members, a radical opposition formed primarily around France and Belgium. "The Belgian comrades," declared their representative at the Executive Committee meeting on March 31 and April 1, 1937, in Brussels, "miss the necessary initiative in the leadership of the International and regret the lack of revolutionary solutions. The Socialist Youth International is too dependent on the feeble and reformist policies of the SAI (Socialist Workers International)."

The Left primarily demanded a stronger politically activist orientation of the socialist youth movement, collaboration with the Communists, a positive attitude towards the Soviet Union, especially after the initiation of the Popular Front policy at the 7th World Congress of the Comintern or the 6th World Congress of the Communist Youth International (KJI) in 1935, and orientation towards the dictatorship of the proletariat. When the oppositional associations of France, Belgium, and Italy organized a special conference in Toulouse in 1936, with the approval of other organizations, forming a working group of revolutionary socialist youth (a so-called Left bloc) and calling for the division of the SJI into a political and a cultural section, the split of the SJI was narrowly avoided. The illegal socialist youth of Austria, represented by Ernst Papanek (code name Ernst Pek) in the office and an executive member, sympathized with the Left bloc but promised loyalty in an agreement in early 1937. When the French, less radical than opportunist, welcomed the Munich Agreement of 1938 and condemned the "policy of warlike anti-fascists" through their delegate, Bernard Chochoy, the Austrian representatives labeled as such strongly opposed them. "The German working class," said the Austrian representatives, "does not expect to be liberated from fascism by a new war, but what we can demand is that the powers do not repeatedly help Hitler achieve new cheap successes."

SJÖ Chairpersons (After 1945)

  • 1946–1954: Peter Strasser (Vienna)
  • 1954–1964: Heinz Nittel (Vienna)
  • 1964–1972: Peter Schieder (Vienna)
  • 1972–1976: Johann Hatzl (Vienna)
  • 1976–1978: Josef Ackerl (Upper Austria)
  • 1978–1984: Josef Cap (Vienna)
  • 1984–1990: Alfred Gusenbauer (Lower Austria)
  • 1990–1992: Martin Winkler (Upper Austria)
  • 1992–1996: Karl Delfs (Burgenland)
  • 1996–2000: Robert Pichler (Styria)
  • 2000–2004: Andreas Kollross (Lower Austria)
  • 2004–2006: Ludwig Dvorak (Vienna)
  • 2006–2008: Torsten Engelage (Lower Austria)
  • 2008–2014: Wolfgang Moitzi (Styria)
  • 2014–2020: Julia Herr (Burgenland)
  • 2020-Present: Paul Stich (Vienna)[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  2. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 3.
  3. ↑ Grundsatz Programm (in German) (2nd ed.). Wien. 2020. p. 11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 4.
  5. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  6. ↑ Grundsatz Programm. Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. 2020. p. 34-36.
  7. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  8. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. pp. 56–57.
  9. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  10. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 4.
  11. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  12. ↑ Stefanie Vasold, Kati Hellwagner, Carina Altreiter, Laura Dobusch, Denise Groschan, Romina Lercher, Kathi Luger, Jasmin Malekpour, Raphaela Pammer, Martina Punz, Sabine Schatz, Irini Tzaferis, Chritine Utzig, Daniela Wickenschnabel (2007). Deshalb sind wir Feministinnen (in German). Wien.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Amtshausgasse 4, A-1050 Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. pp. 5–8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. ↑ Grundsatz Programm (in German) (2nd ed.). Amtshausgasse 4, A-1050 Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. 2020. p. 3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  15. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  16. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  17. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  18. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 59.
  19. ↑ "Sozialistische Jugend Österreich". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  20. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. pp. 5–6.
  21. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 8.
  22. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 9.
  23. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 10.
  24. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. pp. 12–13.
  25. ↑ Bauer, Manfred; Miloradovic, Marko; Lindner, Philipp; Herr, Julia; Pay, Sebastian. 120 Jahre Sozialistische Jugend (in German). Wien: Sozialistische Jugend Österreich. p. 66.


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