ABSTRACT
The Habsburg Monarchy and its successor states played a central role in the origins and development of fascism. Georg von Schönerer and his pan-German nationalists created the ideological context for “national socialism.” The Monarchy was less a “prison of the nations,” and more akin to a nursery for nationalisms: its top-down political structure enabled nationalist political parties to be extremely irresponsible in their rhetoric and actions, including the adoption of antisemitism. The wish to rein in liberal, progressive policies also led to some connivance by the conservative Habsburg leadership with nationalists over antisemitism.
Fear of nationalism, in the form of irredentism, was a major cause of the Monarchy starting the First World War; the Monarchy’s collapse in 1918 led to further growth and radicalisation of nationalisms in the interwar period. Although the relationship between conservative, authoritarian nationalism and more radical, fascist movements was often adversarial in this period, their shared populist/nationalist values, gained during the time of the Monarchy, meant that the lines between the two camps often blurred. Christian Social and authoritarian conservatives were prone to fascist influence and ultimately put up little or no resistance to collaboration with the Axis Powers.
