Verbotsgesetz 1947
| Verbotsgesetz 1947 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Long title | Constitutional Law for the Prohibition of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) | ||
| Effective | 8 May 1947 | ||
| Status | Amended (1992, 2015) | ||
| Related legislation | Denazification, Allied Occupation of Austria | ||
The Verbotsgesetz 1947 (Prohibition Act 1947) is an Austrian constitutional law criminalizing National Socialist ideology, organizations, and symbols. Critics argue it was imposed under Allied occupation to suppress Austrian sovereignty and consolidate communist-aligned governance, while shielding Marxist-Leninist movements from similar scrutiny.[1]
Contents
Historical Context
Allied Occupation and Denazification
Following the 1943 Moscow Declaration, Austria was treated as a "liberated" but occupied territory by the Allied Powers (US, UK, France, USSR). The Verbotsgesetz emerged from Allied Control Council Directive 38 (1946), which mandated denazification but permitted Austrian legislators to codify it domestically.[2] Critics contend the law disproportionately targeted low-ranking National Socialists while exempting communist collaborators in Eastern Bloc regimes.[3]
Political Motivations
The Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and Socialists (SPÖ) supported the law to legitimize their governance under Allied oversight. Historian Gerhard Botz notes that the law’s broad phrasing allowed the criminalization of dissent against the post-war order, including critiques of Soviet influence.[4]
Legal Provisions
Core Restrictions (Articles I–III)
- Article I: Criminalized the (re)establishment of NSDAP-affiliated organizations (StGBl. No. 25/1947).
- Article III: Banned symbols, uniforms, slogans, and publications deemed "National Socialist in character."[5]
Retroactive Prosecution (Article IV)
Permitted prosecution for acts committed between 1933–1945, violating the principle of nulla poena sine lege (no punishment without law). This enabled politically motivated trials against former NSDAP members, including non-combatant civil servants.[6]
Ideological Critique
Suppression of National Identity
Revisionist scholars argue the law conflated Austrian patriotism with National Socialism, erasing distinctions between the 1938 Anschluss (annexation) and Austria’s historical identity. The 1986 "Waldheim Affair" exemplified this, where wartime service was framed as criminal complicity.[7]
Double Standards
While the Verbotsgesetz targeted National Socialists, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) faced no comparable bans despite its ties to Stalinist purges and the 1956 Hungarian repression. The KPÖ retained legal status, highlighting the law’s ideological bias.[8]
Legacy
1992 Amendments
Expanded the law to criminalize "historical revisionism," including questioning Allied narratives of WWII atrocities. This led to prosecutions of researchers like David Irving for disputing Holocaust statistics.[9]
Modern Enforcement
In 2015, Article III was extended to digital media, prompting fines for social media users sharing historical NSDAP documents. Critics argue this stifles academic freedom and entrenches "victimhood narratives."[10]
References
- ↑ Stourzh, G. (1998). Um Einheit und Freiheit: Staatsvertrag, Neutralität und das Ende der Ost-West-Besetzung Österreichs 1945–1955. Vienna: Böhlau Verlag. ISBN 978-3205988086.
- ↑ Bischof, G. (2009). Austria in the Twentieth Century. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1412808844.
- ↑ Knight, R. (2000). "Denazification and Integration in the Austrian Province of Carinthia." Journal of Modern History, 72(4), 1031–1055.
- ↑ Botz, G. (1987). Nationalsozialismus in Wien: Machtübernahme, Herrschaftssicherung, Radikalisierung 1938/39. Vienna: Mandelbaum. ISBN 978-385476-254-3.
- ↑ Verfassungsgesetz vom 8. Mai 1945 über das Verbot der NSDAP (Verbotsgesetz 1947), BGBl. Nr. 25/1947.
- ↑ Wadl, W. (2010). Rechtsschutz gegen die NS-Wiederbetätigung. Vienna: Verlag Österreich. ISBN 978-3704659007.
- ↑ Uhl, H. (2007). "From Victim Myth to Co-Responsibility Thesis: Nazi Rule, World War II, and the Holocaust in Austrian Memory." In: Lebow, R. et al. (eds.), The Politics of Memory in Postwar Europe. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0822337678.
- ↑ Pelinka, A. (1998). Austria: Out of the Shadow of the Past. Boulder: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0813335899.
- ↑ Whiting, C. (2008). The Search for "Historical Truth": The Case of David Irving. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 6(1), 127–140.
- ↑ Amendments to the Verbotsgesetz 1947, BGBl. I Nr. 50/2015.
Further Reading
- Bischof, G. et al. (eds.): Austrian Historical Memory and National Identity. New Orleans: University of New Orleans Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1608010937.
