Franz Langoth (20 August 1877 – 17 April 1953) was an Austrian

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

politician who later became a leading figure in the country's

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

movement.

Nationalist politics

A native of

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

, Langoth was the son of a miller and a flour merchant and qualified as a teacher in 1896.

Philip Rees Philip Rees (born 1941) is a British writer and librarian formerly in charge of acquisitions at the J. B. Morrell Library, University of York. He has written books on fascism and the extreme right. Works *''Fascism in Britain'' (Harvester Pres ...

, ''

Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 The ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' is a reference book by Philip Rees, on leading people in the various far right movements since 1890. It contains entries for what the author regards as "the 500 major figures on the r ...

'', Simon & Schuster, 1990, p. 221 He began his political career as a nationalist member of the Landtag of

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

in 1909.The German nationalist politician
/ref> He served in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

as a lieutenant during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and subsequently with the

Landsturm In German-speaking countries, the term ''Landsturm'' was historically used to refer to militia or military units composed of troops of inferior quality. It is particularly associated with Prussia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Nethe ...

. In the immediate aftermath of the war Langoth became head of the provincial security committee in Linz and, although he became noted for his hard-line völkisch beliefs and his strong support for

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

, he also worked closely with

Johann Nepomuk Hauser Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

, the governor of

who was noted for his

Christian socialist Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...

beliefs. As deputy Laundeshauptmann Langoth gained a reputation as a strong, albeit even-handed, upholder of law and order in the province. In particular Langoth clashed regularly with Emil Fey, particularly as he had banned marches by the

Heimwehr The Heimwehr (, ) or Heimatschutz (, ) was a nationalist, initially paramilitary group operating in Austria during the 1920s and 1930s that was similar in methods, organization, and ideology to the Freikorps in Germany. It was opposed to parliam ...

in Upper Austria. Langoth's reputation as law enforcer even saw

Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuß (alternatively: ''Dolfuss'', ; 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 ...

offer him the post of Federal Minister of Public Security in May 1932 but the offer was rejected. He became leader of the

Greater German People's Party The Greater German People's Party ( German ''Großdeutsche Volkspartei'', abbreviated GDVP) was a German nationalist and national liberal political party during the First Republic of Austria, established in 1920. Foundation After World War I an ...

after the First World War, leading the party on a strongly anti-Semitic and racist course. However whilst the party initially enjoyed a following it soon lost out to the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

and Langoth joined this group in 1933. He also joined the

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...

at the same time. Under the

Ständestaat The Federal State of Austria ( de-AT, Bundesstaat Österreich; colloquially known as the , "Corporate State") was a continuation of the First Austrian Republic between 1934 and 1938 when it was a one-party state led by the clerical fascist Fat ...

Langoth established the ''Hilfswerk Langoth'' which provided welfare payments to Nazi activists and played an important role in ensuring the continuation of the Nazi movement. Although the Nazi Party was banned in Austria after the attempted putsch of 1934

Kurt Schuschnigg Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Doll ...

allowed Langoth's group to be active due to his high standing. Langoth, along with Ernst Kaltenbrunner and

Anton Reinthaller Anton Reinthaller (14 April 1895 – 6 March 1958) was an Austrian right-wing politician active before and after the Second World War. After a career in Nazi Germany as an '' SS-Brigadeführer'' and member of the Nazi Reichstag, he was the ...

, even met with Schuschnigg in 1935 in an attempt to get the ban on the Nazis lifted in return for a guarantee of co-operation with the regime.

Under the Nazis

Langoth was a strong supporter of the

and he argued that "the election on 10 April 1938 in Austria had been an example of a true, democratic plebiscite and would be recorded as a pure and clean vote in future history". Following the Anschluss Langoth became head of the

Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt The National Socialist People's Welfare (german: Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt, NSV) was a social welfare organization during the Third Reich. The NSV was originally established in 1931 as a small Nazi Party-affiliated charity active loca ...

for Austria and the Upper

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. He also served as a judge in the Volksgerichtshof where he passed 41 death sentences and obtained the rank of

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''Untergruppenf ...

in the

. Towards the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he also served as Mayor of Linz and as the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

advanced Langoth sought out the

Austrian resistance The Austrian resistance launched in response to the rise in fascism across Europe and, more specifically, to the Anschluss in 1938 and resulting occupation of Austria by Germany. An estimated 100,000 people were reported to have participated i ...

and negotiated with them the transfer of Linz to their administration.

Post-war activities

Langoth was arrested by the United States forces and interned at Glasenbach until 1947, although he surprisingly faced no charges under the denazification process and was amnestied by the Austrian government in 1950. He became an advisor to the founders of the

Federation of Independents The Federation of Independents (german: Verband der Unabhängigen, VdU) was a German nationalist and national-liberal political party in Austria active from 1949 to 1955. It was the predecessor of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Formation Th ...

and was an honorary member of the party.Political activities 1945-1953
/ref> His 1951 autobiography ''Kampf um Österreich'' was characterised by its continuing support for Nazism.

Street naming controversy

In the post-war era Langoth was for some time considered a 'good' Nazi who bore no responsibility for the excesses of the regime, to the extent that in 1972 a street in Linz was renamed ''Langothstraße''. The name continued in use until 1986 when the street was restored to its original name of ''Kaisergasse''.Myth Langoth
/ref>

Literature

* ''Die Gemeindevertretung der Stadt Linz vom Jahre 1848 bis zur Gegenwart. Geschichte – Biographien.'' Druck- und Verlags-Anstalt Gutenberg, Linz 1968, p. 189 f. * Graf, Wolfgang: ''Österreichische SS-Generäle. Himmlers verlässliche Vasallen.'' Hermagoras-Verlag, Klagenfurt u. a. 2012, . * Georg Grüll: ''Das Linzer Bürgermeisterbuch.'' Städtische Sammlungen der Stadt Linz, Linz 1953. * Schuster, Walter: ''Deutschnational, nationalsozialistisch, entnazifiziert. Franz Langoth, eine NS-Laufbahn.'' Archiv der Stadt Linz, Linz 1999, .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langoth, Franz 1877 births 1953 deaths Greater German People's Party politicians Austrian Nazis Members of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany Austrian jurists Mayors of places in Austria Politicians from Linz Officials of Nazi Germany SS-Brigadeführer Judges in the Nazi Party German nationalists Nazi war criminals Politicide perpetrators World War II prisoners of war held by the United States