Much of my time last week went to proofreading the newly laid-out copy of Red Vienna. It’s amazing how many missed errors you find when you reread something in a different font and format. While I was working on it, the US House of Representatives was leaderless. Here’s an excerpt from my book that covers similar events that took place in Vienna’s parliament in 1933:

Cafe Rüdigerhof, Brigittenau

March 7, 1933

Max closes the shop early to meet with the others at the coffee house. The news that Chancellor Dollfuss had eliminated the parliament hit the press earlier that week, and on the same day, it had been announced that the Wartime Economy Authority Law, an emergency law passed in 1917, would be used as a basis to rule.  It gave Dollfuss significantly broader powers than he had under the parliamentary system.

In fact, every day that week brought what seemed like earth-shattering news. Wednesday, the National Council couldn’t agree on how to settle the railway workers’ strike. When an agreement was finally reached, irregularities were found in the vote, and Karl Renner, leader of the SDAP, resigned as Chairman of the Council. 

“You’ve all heard how it came about? It was apparently one of our people. He passed his voting card on to be handed in by someone else while he went to the lavatory,” Hugo says. “And they called it a voting irregularity.”

“Renner shouldn’t have resigned. He should have fought it,” says Leo.

Hugo shakes his head. “He took the high road, though, and he’s out now.”

“If it wasn’t true, it would be unbelievable,” says Max. “That one man responding to the call of nature could cause the cascade of events that led to the downfall of democracy in Austria.”

After Renner’s resignation, Rudolf Ramek, a Christian Social, had been named Chairman. He declared the previous vote invalid and called for a new vote. Another uproar followed. Ramek then resigned, and Sepp Straffner, leader of the Pan-Germans, became Chairman, but he also stepped down immediately. The resignations of Renner, Ramek, and Straffner left the house without a speaker, so the session couldn’t be closed and the National Council was incapable of acting. Not knowing what to do next, the members of the Parliament left the chamber..

In response, Chancellor Dollfuss had declared a constitutional crisis. The parliament, he said, had “eliminated itself,” a crisis not provided for in the constitution. Dollfuss then set up an authoritarian government without a parliament. The establishment of wartime rule gave him complete authority.

So far, the president of the United States hasn’t eliminated the House of Representatives and instituted martial law, but the parallels are striking.

Maybe even more than the desire to share a story based on my parents’ experiences, it’s echoes like this one that compelled me to finish the book.

Watch for it in a few weeks or months.