The Christian Socialists

The originals of the Christian Socialist party are to be found in the Catholic social reform movement of Karl Freiherr von Vogelsang and in the Vienna crafts movement, which aimed at safeguarding the competitiveness of small businesses and crafts with industry. When Karl Lueger joined the Christian Socialists, it developed into a mass movement and political party. Lueger was elected mayor of Vienna in 1895 but was only approved by the Emperor two years later. After the merger with the Catholic People’s Party in June 1907, the Christian Socialists became the strongest party in parliament. When Lueger died on 10 March 1911, the party entered a serious crisis because of the rivalry for succession and internal corruption scandals. It suffered a clear defeat in the Reichsrat elections in June and had to surrender its leading role in the capital.