The Development of Federalism in the First Austrian Republic and the Role of the Christian Social Party of Austria

The main purpose of the article is to analyze the Constitution of 1920 as a project for the development of federalism in the First Austrian Republic and to study the political role of the Christian Social Party in this process. Particular attention is paid to the historical prerequisites for the implementation and for- mation of federalism in the period from 1918 to 1933. The study examines directions of development and strengthening of federalism as an institution. The present study implies a historical-genetic approach based on analyt- ical, review and historical-legal methods. The finding of the study is rethinking of the view on the policy of the Christian Social Party of Austria aimed at building a federal state based on the Constitution of 1920. In general, it can be included that within the period under review, the development of the federal system in Austria was fully determined. Having found itself in new borders after the collapse of its own empire, Austria was in search of a sense of preserving its own statehood. The politicians of the Christian Social Party of Austria played not a small role in this process. In the Austrian state, the degree of dependence of the federal structure is also noted. Although, the activi- ties of Christian Social Austria in the early 1930s would predetermine the Anschluss, it gave rise to the development of Austrian federalism at a new level and in an accessible way for its time.