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Innere Stadt, Austria
The interwar period was formed by the demise of the young, democratic states in Europe. This article deals with the end of the parliamentary-democratic systems in Austria and Poland during the interwar period. Based on the political and constitutional situation of the two democratic republics after the First World War, the establishment of authoritarian rule in Poland under Józef Piłsudski and in Austria under Engelbert Dollfuß is discussed. While Piłsudski seized state power within a few days through a military coup, and from then on remained legally in the background, despite his factual rule without an appropriate state office, Dollfuß gradually eliminated the democratic institutions and established a chancellor dictatorship through a coup d'état in installments. Both autocrats were particularly careful to maintain the appearance of legitimacy of their actions. The focus of the analysis is on the means of securing power: from strengthening the executive to dealing with opposition and critics, and interning them until the enactment of a new constitution as the ultimate means of securing the legal position and legitimation. Using a comparative approach, the similarities and differences between the two regimes are shown in these areas.
