Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

708 DER FUEHRERbattle lasted three days; those sections of the workers, who weredetermined to resist, fought much more vigorously than, for instance,the National Socialists in Munich in 1923. But only a small part of themresisted. In contrast to what happened in Germany in 1920, the historicweapon of the working class, the general strike, this time failed: thewheels did not stand still, the trains ran on schedule, and the electriclights burned as before. A few prominent leaders fled toCzechoslovakia; others, like Seitz, the Mayor of Vienna, remaineddefiantly in the city; several of the real leaders of the battle were hangedby the government, which had neither human feeling nor respect fortheir magnificent courage. This blood-bath seemingly broke the politicalpower of the Social Democracy; but the movement was not destroyed, itcontinued as a brilliantly organized 'underground,' which even managedto hold Communist competition down. It may be doubted whetherDollfuss wanted all of these horrors; but it is a fact that he did notoppose them. Amidst the life-and-death struggle the Austrian governmentwas waging against National Socialism, the destruction andalienation of the strongest anti-Nazi force in the country was a model ofpolitical short-sightedness.Dictatorship continued to make headway in Europe. Its semicircle,extending from Moscow to Rome, was solidly filled during that year;first Germany, then Austria, were added to the ring; in Poland,terrorism, which hitherto had been only an instrument of the Fascistrulers, had been raised to the dignity of a constitution. The Hungariansemi-dictatorship came closer to fascism when Julius Goemboes, anavowed Fascist and anti-Semite, became Prime Minister — this actuallytook place four months before Hitler's accession to power. The westernend of the semicircle, formed by the Spanish dictatorship, had at firstbeen broken off by the resignation of Primo de Rivera in 1929 and thedeposition of King Alfonso in 1931; but within a few years Spanishfascism, bloodier than ever, was to return to power. And the EuropaFascista, prophesied by Mussolini, had even raised its head in Paris. InEngland, too, Lord Rothermere supported Sir Oswald Mosley'smovement which openly called itself 'Fascist.'With half of Europe won for fascism, how could international