Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg

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Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg (May 10, 1899, Eferding -March 15, 1956, Schruns; Ernst Rüdiger Fürst von Starhemberg until the 1919 abolition of nobility) was an Austrian Fascist and politician prior to World War II.

Born in Eferding, Upper Austria, in 1899, von Starhemberg hailed from a long line of Austrian nobles and inherited the title of prince. He was the oldest son of Princess Franziska von Starhemberg. As a young man, he became a proponent of right wing and authoritarian politics and joined the Heimwehr, quickly becoming a leader of one of its local branches. He also became a fervent admirer of Benito Mussolini and his Fascist government. In the early 1920s, Starhemberg traveled to Germany and joined the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler actively used Starhemberg’s status as an Austrian noble to try to improve the party’s image and to attract wealthy, influential, and respectable backers to its ranks. After taking part in the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Starhemberg became disillusioned with Nazism and returned to Austria. Rejoining the Heimwehr, Starhemberg became its national director in 1930 and actively campaigned to turn Austria into a fascistic state. Eventually, Starhemberg’s movement became powerful enough to threaten the government, and as such the chancellor tried to appease him by appointing him Minister of the Interior in September of 1930. Starhemberg lost his position shortly thereafter, however, when the Heimwehr’s political wing did poorly in Parliamentary elections. His reputation was further tarnished when a branch of the Heimwehr attempted to seize hold of Vienna in 1931.

When pro-fascist Engelbert Dollfuß became Chancellor of Austria in 1932, Starhemberg once again gained governmental power. At Dollfuß’s request, Starhemberg worked to combine a number of right wing groups into a single political entity. He was successful, and the result was the powerful Fatherland Front. For his efforts, Starhemberg became Dollfuß’s vice chancellor in May of 1934. When Dollfuß was assassinated two months later, Starhemberg became leader of the Fatherland Front. He also retained his position as vice chancellor under Kurt Schuschnigg, and became Minister of State Security as well. With these positions, Starhemberg was in effect the second most powerful man in Austria. During this time period, he worked to keep Austria an independent fascist state and fervently opposed the Austrian Nazi Party and their support of a union with Germany. In 1936, however, he was forced out of power by Schuschnigg, who disagreed with Starhemberg’s radical ideas. After Austria was united with Germany in 1938, Starhemberg fled the country and served in the British and Free French air forces for a short period of time at the beginning of World War II. In 1942 he traveled to Argentina and lived there until 1955, after which time he returned to Austria. He died in Schruns in 1956.