Jodok Fink (19 February 1853 – 1 July 1929) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n farmer and politician who was a member of the
Christian Social Party of Austria (CS). He served as first
Vice-Chancellor of Austria
The vice-chancellor of Austria is a member of the Government of Austria and is the deputy to the Chancellor of Austria, Chancellor. It is functionally equivalent to a deputy prime minister in other countries with parliamentary systems.
Descripti ...
from 1919 to 1920.
Life
Fink was born in
Andelsbuch
Andelsbuch is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.
Population
Initiatives
The Werkraum Bregenzerwald is an association of craftsmen in the Bregenz Forest founded in 1999. It aims at networking and ...
, in the
Bregenz Forest
The Bregenz Forest (german: Bregenzerwald, ) is one of the main regions in the state of Vorarlberg (Austria). It overlaps, but is not coterminous with, the Bregenz Forest Mountains, which belong to a range of the Northern Limestone Alps, specifica ...
region, the son of a farmer's family. He and his younger brother Alois were the only surviving children; his father died when Fink was four years old, whereafter his mother remarried. The bright pupil went on to attend the
Gymnasium secondary school in
Brixen
Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...
but soon had to abandon his education to work on his family's farmstead.
Fink began his political career in 1879, when he was elected a member of the municipal assembly (''Gemeindeausschuss'') in Andelsbuch and served as mayor from 1888 to 1897. Actually a moderate
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
, he joined the
Landtag
A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...
assembly of
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...
in 1890 and the newly established Christian Social Party in 1893. He was elected MP of the Austrian
Imperial Council parliament in 1897 where he did not join the faction of his antiliberal and
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
Christian Social party fellows until 1901. His career as a CS party executive was further promoted, when the long-time leader
Karl Lueger
Karl Lueger (; 24 October 1844 – 10 March 1910) was an Austrian politician, mayor of Vienna, and leader and founder of the Austrian Christian Social Party. He is credited with the transformation of the city of Vienna into a modern city. The pop ...
died in 1910.
During the dissolution of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
at the end of
World War I
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 ...
, Fink was elected one of the three presidents of the
German-Austrian provisional national assembly on 21 October 1918. He made his mark as a strong opponent of a unification with the German
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
, though against the majority of the assembly, and also spoke against tendencies to attach his
Allemannic home country Vorarlberg to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
Upon the
Austrian Constitutional Assembly election, Fink on 15 March 1919 was able to forge a
grand coalition government with the left-wing
Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) under State Chancellor
Karl Renner
Karl Renner (14 December 1870 – 31 December 1950) was an Austrian politician and jurist of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria. He is often referred to as the "Father of the Republic" because he led the first government of German-A ...
and to assume the newly established office of an Austrian Vice-Chancellor. Fink played a vital role in Austrian internal politics during the negotiations leading to the
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, becoming CS faction leader in the
National Council parliament, which ratified the treaty on 17 October 1919. Accompanied by fierce protests, Chancellor Renner and his government resigned, though another cabinet of Social Democratic and Christian Social ministers under Renner and Fink was immediately formed and confirmed by the National Council.
Fink was superseded by his party fellow
Michael Mayr
Michael Mayr (10 April 1864 – 21 May 1922) was an Austrian politician, who served as Chancellor of Austria in the First Austrian Republic from July 1920 to June 1921. He was a member of the Christian Social Party, and by profession a historian ...
, when Renner's coalition government finally broke up on 7 July 1920. Upon the
legislative election of 1920 on 17 October, Mayr formed a
minority government
A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...
backed by the right-wing
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 and ...
and Fink during the subsequent period of political radicalisation no longer held any government offices, but remained considered an ''
éminence grise
An ''éminence grise'' () or grey eminence is a powerful decision-maker or adviser who operates "behind the scenes", or in a non-public or unofficial capacity.
This phrase originally referred to François Leclerc du Tremblay, the right-hand man ...
'' and power broker.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fink, Jodok
1853 births
1929 deaths
People from Bregenz District
Christian Social Party (Austria) politicians
Vice-Chancellors of Austria
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1897–1900)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1901–1907)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1907–1911)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1911–1918)
Members of the Provisional National Assembly
Members of the Constituent National Assembly (Austria)
Members of the National Council (Austria)
Austrian farmers
Commanders of the Order of Franz Joseph