Bruno Kreisky

Bruno Kreisky (born with Vienna the January 22nd 1911 and dead the July 29th 1990) was a Austrian Politician , federal Chancelier of 1970 with 1983.

Career

Bruno Kreisky, born with Vienna in the last years of the Double monarchy, is the son of one manufacturing of clothing. Wire of the Jewish middle-class Viennese, it breaks with her medium while adhering very young - at 15 years - to the social democrat party. The end of its studies of right, during which it continued its militant activity, coincides with the prohibition of the social democrat party by the Chancelier Engelbert Dollfuss. It then decides to join the clandestine movement which is set up.

Decree in January 1935, it is accused of " high trahison" , but finally slackened in 1936. After the Anschluss, it decides to emigrate in Sweden, where it will remain until 1946 returning quickly to Stockholm, where the new Austrian government asks him to ensure its diplomatic representation.

In 1951, the federal president Theodor Körner makes of Kreisky his principal private secretary and principal political adviser. Appointed under-secretary of State to the foreign affairs in 1953, it takes an active part in the negotiations preliminary to the signature of the treaty of State known as " of Belvédère" , signed in 1955, which puts an end to the quadripartite occupation, the return of the Austria marks to the full sovereignty and devotes the choice of neutrality wanted by the country and its leaders.

At the time of the elections of 1956, Bruno Kreisky is elected for the first time at the Lower House of the Austrian Parliament, the Nationalrat, under the label of SPÖ. He also reaches the central committee of the party.

After the elections of 1959, he becomes Foreign Minister of the cabinet of great coalition (ÖVP - SPÖ) of the Christian Democrat Julius Raab and will play in particular a big role within the framework of the creation of the EFTA.

The Christian Democrats of Josef Klaus carrying the absolute majority with the elections of 1966, it leaves the government and is devoted exclusively to SPÖ, with the head of which it is elected in 1967.

Under its impulse, the social democrats carry a relative majority to the elections of 1970. Kreisky then becomes Chancelier from a coalition government with ÖVP. In order to sit its majority, it organizes successfully new elections in October 1971, SPÖ obtaining the absolute majority of the seats. The Kreisky government will be easily renewed at the time of the electoral deadlines of 1975 and 1979.

Becoming old and more and more worried by the international questions, it is put in minority at the time of the elections of 1983: the Socialists remain the first party of Austria, but must be solved to form a coalition. Affected by this defeat and starting to suffer from health issues, Kreisky will prefer to withdraw and leave its place to Fred Sinowatz, his Minister for education.

Appointed Honorary president of SPÖ, it will not spare its councils and critics with the new direction of the party.

However, its health declines rather quickly: in 1984, it must undergo a Clerc's Office Rein and dies in 1990.

Federal chancellor (1970-83)

The policy followed by Kreisky as a chancellor will be characterized by his liberalism as for the security questions, and by its economic reformism.

In a country deeply by conservatism and the catholic tradition, Bruno Kreisky will impose important liberal reforms, in particular in the field of the family and justice. He will décriminalisera in particular the abortion and homosexuality and will try to laicize the Austrian State, finding in this last task the support of the archbishop of Vienna, the cardinal progressist Franz König. Lastly, it will grant linguistic facilities to the Slavic minorities residing on the Austrian territory.

In the economic domain, it will impose the 40 hours week, the equal treatment man/woman in the professional field and will follow a policy of wage increase and purchasing power. Between 1974 and 1978, it will launch a nuclear program of scale in order to limit the energy dependence of Austria, which will be finally abandoned after a Référendum in 1978.

Lastly, length of its mandate, Kreisky will play a part growing in the international businesses, being made lawyer of the North-South dialog and the apostle of the “peaceful coexistence”. Playing of the neutrality of Austria, it will contribute to make of Vienna a bridge between the two blocks, in particular within the framework of the negotiations on disarmament and the nuclear questions. It will also try to promote a solution negotiated to solve the israélo-Palestinian conflict, while using of its double quality of Jew and Socialist attached to the Israeli worker governments. If it hardly met success at Israel, it will develop more thorough relations with Anouar el-Sadate and PLO.

Simple: Bruno Kreisky

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