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The Austrian General Strikes of 1950 were masterminded by the Communist Party of Austria with half-hearted support of the Soviet occupation authorities. In August–October 1950 Austria faced a severe social and economic crisis caused by anticipated withdrawal of American financial aid and a sharp drop in real wages. Negotiations between the government and the trade unions stalled, and on September 26 the Communists launched the first general strike. A total of 120 thousand industrial workers walked out of factories, disrupted railroad traffic and harassed government officers. Austrian government, the Socialists and trade unions defused the situation and on September 27 the Communists backed off. The second strike of October 4–5, limited to Vienna and Soviet-occupied Lower Austria, also ended in a humiliating defeat. The Soviet support to Austrian Communists was limited to the disruption of police action and provision of trucks for moving communist agents. The British and American occupation forces provided only moral support to the Austrian government. All former allies evaded use of force. No one was killed but dozens of police officers and civilians were injured in street fights. The strikes of 1950 are routinely called a ''putsch''〔Cf. the title of corresponding chapter in ''Bader''.〕 but actual goals of the Communists remain unknown. According to contemporary American press, the August strikes were "the most widespread and potentially dangerous since the end of World War II".〔MacCormack, John (1950, October 7). ''(Soviet Forces Pull Back from Austrian Showdown )''. The New York Times (paid access).〕 Historians agreed: "the developing strike was the most dangerous since the end of the war" (Bader),〔Bader, p. 165.〕 "few Cold War confrontations in Austria were more potentially explosive than the Communist-inspired strikes of September and October 1950" (Williams).〔Williams, p. 115.〕 ==Crisis of 1950== After the conclusion of World War II the territory of Austria, annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, was once again separated from Germany and placed under administration of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1949 they agreed on two-thirds of the draft of the Austrian State Treaty but its very future was vague, as had been shown by the partition of Germany.〔Williams, p. 118.〕 By summer of 1950 lack of progress with the Treaty and the communist scare of the Korean War had a grave impact on the Austrians' morale.〔Williams, pp. 119-120.〕 Allied-occupied Austria was split into four occupation zones. The Soviet Union controlled the provinces of Lower Austria, Burgenland and eastern districts of Upper Austria, but the city of Vienna, which lies within Lower Austria, was occupied by all four allies. Austrian heavy industry (or what was left of it) concentrated around Linz, in the American zone, and in British-occupied Styria. Their products were in high demand in post-war Europe. Quite naturally, the administrators of the Marshall Plan channelled available financial aid into heavy industry controlled by the American and British forces.〔Bader, p. 160.〕 Industry quickly recovered, from 74.7% of pre-war output in 1948 to 150.7% in 1951.〔Bader, p. 160, uses 1937 as the base year (100%).〕 American planners deliberately neglected consumer goods industries, construction trades and small business. Their workers, almost half of Austrian industrial workforce, suffered from rising unemployment.〔Bader, pp. 160-161.〕 Agriculture remained in ruin, and Austria relied on food imports from the West. In 1948–1949 substantial share of Marshall Plan funds allocated to Austria was used to subsidize imports of food. American money, effectively, raised real wages of Austrian workers: grain price in Austria was at about one-third of the world price.〔Williams, p. 122.〕 Farmers were depressed by artificially low prices; the Americans were not happy about it too and planned to cut off food subsidies by the end of 1950. Austrian coalition government chaired by Leopold Figl was facing an impending social and economic crisis. They had to manage it alone, without allied support and without financial reserves to smooth the transition. Austrian finances were ruined by post-war hyperinflation. In 1947–1949 the government and organized labor maintained real wages through annual adjustment of wages to prices. The first two price-wage agreements relieved social tension, but by the time of the third price-wage agreement (1949) failures of this mechanism were obvious.〔Bader, pp. 161-162.〕 The Communist Party of Austria made the alleged "ripoff of workers" in 1949 a staple of their campaigning〔Williams, p. 121.〕 and blamed the very existence of wage-price agreements on American influence.〔Bischof et al., pp. 149-150.〕 The fourth price-wage agreement, negotiated in secrecy in August 1950, ended in a deadlock. The unions expected that the government will pick up the food bill previously paid by the Americans. The government could not afford it, and was persuading the unions to accept a sharp drop in real wages. The farmers demanded a raise in food price caps.〔Williams, p. 122, wrote that farmers' action in July–August was a direct precursor to the September crisis.〕 The Korean War raised worldwide prices of coal, fertilizers and other vital imported commodities.〔 The public remained unaware of the depth of the crisis altogether until the first week of September when the farmers refused to deliver their produce to the cities at old prices. The coalition government plunged into protracted public debates between different interest groups and failed to reach a consensus.〔Bader, p. 164.〕 As public anxiety mounted, Austrian Communists, who had recently lost municipal elections even in the Soviet zone,〔MacCormack, John (1950, May 7). ''(Red Mayors Losing in Lower Austria )''. The New York Times (paid access).〕 grabbed the opportunity and demanded a 15% "straight wage increase with prices frozen".〔 September 24, 1950 communist press announced the upcoming general strike.〔Bader, pp. 165-167.〕 In case of a conflict they counted on support from the ''Werkschutz'', the paramilitary factory guard employed by the USIA and manned by communists.〔Bischof et al., p. 146.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1950 Austrian general strikes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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