1919 Vorarlberg annexation referendum
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Do the people of Vorarlberg wish the Landesrat to announce the Vorarlberg people's intent to join the Swiss Confederation and to enter into negotiations with the Swiss federal government? | |||||||||||||
| Outcome | Referendum successful; failure to unite | ||||||||||||
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| Results | |||||||||||||
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A referendum on whether the Provisional Provincial Assembly of Vorarlberg should announce the intention of the people of Vorarlberg to join the Swiss Confederation and to enter into negotiations with the Swiss Federal Government was held on 11 May 1919. The proposal received substantial support, with 80.75% of voters and a majority in 93 out of 96 municipalities voting in favor.
Opinions on the integration of Vorarlberg, a predominantly Catholic and rural region with a concentrated industrial sector, into the Swiss Confederation were mixed. A petition for a popular initiative for union failed and only one member of the seven-person Swiss Federal Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Felix Calonder, strongly endorsed the idea. The Swiss government did, however, provide aid to the region, allowing the local government to avoid a serious famine.
The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on 10 September 1919, made no provision for a plebiscite in Vorarlberg and with no support from any outside power, the province was to remain with Austria as the independence of Austria was "inalienable otherwise than with the consent of the Council of the League of Nations."
Background
Before petitioning for the referendum even began, the Provisional Provincial Assembly of Vorarlberg had already announced its intention on 3 November 1918 to join the new state of German-Austria as an autonomous province.[1] The movement for a referendum for union with Switzerland began around the same time with Ferdinand Riedmann, a trained teacher, conservative, and member of the Linz Soldier Soviet of the Common Army. In a speech to his comrades, he advocated for the union of Vorarlberg with Switzerland, and shortly after the Armistice of Villa Giusti, returned to his home province.[2]
Witht he support of local craftsmen, tradesmen, small entrepreneurs, and petit bourgeois intelligentsia,[2] Riedmann founded the Committee to Campaign for Union with Switzerland on 13 November 1918.[1] Amid an uncertain future of Austria following the collapse of Austria-Hungary, widespread economic hardship, and a prevailing sense of neglect by the government in Vienna,[3] many in Vorarlberg viewed Switzerland as a place that offered employment and economic stability.[2] The group employed anti-semitic rhetoric, referring to Austria as the "Jewish State of Vienna"[4] and saying that they did "not want to know anything about the Jews of Vienna."[3]
Between its founding and February 1919,[5] the group collected signatures from 71% of the Vorarlberg electorate in favor of union with Switzerland.[2] On 1 March,[1] Riedmann presented the signatures to the then Conservative Party lead provincial assembly,[2] which on 15 March declared that its affiliation with German-Austria was to be regarded as provisional only and that a plebiscite should determine any union with a larger state, including a possible option for union with Bavaria or Württemberg. Provincial Governor Otto Ender commented that:[1]
I am of the opinion that, when we look at our geographical position, it is obvious that we are open towards Switzerland, not closed off from Germany, but definitely cut off by mountains from German-Austria.
In Switzerland, the opinions on the integration of Vorarlberg, a predominantly Catholic and rural region with a concentrated industrial sector, into the Swiss Confederation were mixed. A group of conservatives such as Gonzague de Reynold supported the idea and founded the Pro Vorarlberg movement in Switzerland. Its goal was to collect 50,000 signatures for a popular initiative for a union. The group was only able to collect 29,000 signatures and only one member of the seven-person Swiss Federal Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Felix Calonder, strongly endorsed the idea.[2] While German-speaking Swiss catholics were in support of union, French-speaking Swiss and Ticino Swiss feared that Vorarlberg's accession would shift the balance of languages, religions, and parties of the country.[5]
Opposition to the union also came from the Labour Party, Liberal Party,[2] German Freedom Party, Pan-German Party, and representatives of the textile industry. The latter three instead advocated for union with Germany or the establishment of a Swabian state with Württemberg, creating the Vorarlberg Swabian Chapter in April 1919.[1]
Results
The referendum was held on May 11 and showed that 80.75% of voters and a majority in 93 out of 96 municipalities voting in favor. The only municipalities with a majority opposing the proposal were Bludenz, Bolgendach and Hittisau.[1]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 47,727 | 80.75 | |
| Against | 11,378 | 19.25 | |
| Total | 59,105 | 100.00 | |
| Source: Direct Democracy | |||
Aftermath
At the Paris Peace Conference, the Vorarlberg question was treated as a secondary matter, despite Provincial Governor Otto Ender being part of the Austrian delegation. Ender had no real power to negotiate and Austrian Chancellor Karl Renner sought to prevent the loss of the province. Switzerland refrained from expressing support for Vorarlberg’s desire for union to the Allied powers, and although the French initially showed some willingness to agree, they ultimately opposed the union. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on 10 September 1919, made no provision for a plebiscite in Vorarlberg and with no support from any outside power, the province was to remain with Austria as the independence of Austria was "inalienable otherwise than with the consent of the Council of the League of Nations."[1][5]
While the Swiss government never expressed support for union, the Swiss government did, however, provide aid to the region, allowing the local government to avoid a serious famine. Campaigning for the cause would continue into the mid-1920s in both Austria and Switzerland but would eventually die out. Efforts by the people of Vorarlberg to get the League of Nations to agree to a union with Switzerland were also failures.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Bailey, Leigh. "Austrian Federal Province or Swiss Canton?". First World War and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Vorarlberg Referendum | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1)". encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ a b Hosp, Gerald (2019-05-10). "Vorarlberg: Was vom «Kanton Übrig» blieb". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Silverman, Lisa (2012). Becoming Austrians: Jews and Culture Between the World Wars. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199942725.
- ^ a b c ch, Beat Müller, beat (at-sign) sudd (dot) (1919-05-11). "Vorarlberg (Österreich), 11. Mai 1919 : Anschluss an die Schweiz -- [in German]". www.sudd.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
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