Otto Franz Rösch or Otto Roesch (; 24 March 1917 – 3 November 1995) was an Austrian politician of the

SPÖ The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

. He was a member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

and worked in a National Socialist educational institution. He rose to become the Secretary of state in Austria.

Early life

Rösch was born in Vienna, Austria on 24 March 1917. He studied (law and philosophy) at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

and the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

Career

Rösch was a member of the

and on 8 December 1947, he was arrested and put on trial as a

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

. He was acquitted in 1949. Rösch rose to become the Secretary of State in Austria. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, he called for reducing defense spending. He also said the West was threatening the neutrality of Austria more than the East saying, "...the military threat from the West is larger." Rösch also served a

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in a previous government.

References

External links

Otto Rösch on the website of the Austrian ParliamentOtto Rösch on the website of the Landtag of Lower AustriaEntry on Otto Rösch in the Austria-Forum (in the AEIOU Austria-Lexicon)Otto Roesch. In: dasrotewien.at – web dictionary of the Viennese social democracy. SPÖ Vienna (ed.)Radio recordings with Otto Rösch in the online archive of the Austrian media library
{{Authority control 1917 births 1995 deaths Ministers of defense of Austria Austrian Nazis Austrian prisoners and detainees Ministers of the interior of Austria Social Democratic Party of Austria Nazi Party members Prisoners and detainees of Austria