Engelbert Dollfuß
Acting
May 4, 1892
Died at age 42
July 25, 1934
Date of Death
Texing, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary
2 Credits
Biography
Engelbert Dollfuss (German: Engelbert Dollfuß, IPA: [ˈɛŋəlbɛɐ̯t ˈdɔlfuːs]; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian clerical fascist politician who served as Chancellor of Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and Agriculture, he ascended to Federal Chancellor in 1932 in the midst of a crisis for the conservative government. In early 1933, he dissolved parliament and assumed dictatorial powers. Suppressing the Socialist movement in February 1934 during the Austrian Civil War and later banning the Austrian Nazi Party, he cemented the rule of "Austrofascism" through the authoritarian First of May Constitution. Dollfuss was assassinated as part of a failed coup attempt by Nazi agents in 1934. His successor Kurt Schuschnigg maintained the regime until Adolf Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938.
