Austrofascism – term denoting the Austrian right-wing authoritarian movement in the 1920s and the 1930s; centred mainly around a paramilitary organisation called Heimwehr; strongly influenced by Othmar Spann’s theory of ​​the corporate state (corporatism), it enjoyed the support of Italian fascists, fought against communists, social democrats, and the Austrian NSDAP connected with Adolf Hitler; its ideas were to a large extent implemented by the dictatorship of E. Dollfuss and K. Schuschnigg, who ruled the country in the years 1933–1938; it differed from fascism proper or from German Nazism in a number of aspects – it referred to the Catholic social doctrine, enjoyed support from the clergy, and did not promote anti-Semitic views; it eventually proved unable to mobilise mass social support; due to these factors, the term “Austrofascism” is currently very rarely used.

The entry was written on the basis of source materials of the PWN printing house.