Bruno Kreisky

Bruno Kreisky (German:

Kreisky's 13-year tenure was the longest of any chancellor in republican Austria and, as an influential political figure in Western European social democracy, he worked closely with likeminded leaders Willy Brandt of West Germany and Olof Palme of Sweden in Socialist International.

Kreisky was born in

In 1966, the ÖVP under Klaus won an absolute majority in the Nationalrat. Klaus had enough parliamentary support to govern alone; indeed, during the campaign he had called for an end to the grand coalition that had governed Austria since 1945. Memories of the hyperpartisanship that characterized the First Republic were still strong, so he approached Kreisky with new coalition terms. While Kreisky and the other Socialist leadership supported retaining the coalition, the rank and file balked at the proposed terms, and talks broke down. Kreisky resigned from cabinet, and the ÖVP formed the first one-party government of the Second Republic. The Socialists retained some power and were informally consulted on all major decisions.

In February 1967, Kreisky was elected chairman of the Socialist Party. At the March 1970 elections, the Socialists won 81 seats, two short of a majority. Kreisky became the first Socialist Chancellor since 1920, heading the first purely left-wing government in modern Austrian history. He was also Austria's first Jewish chancellor. Kreisky's government was tolerated by the then national-liberal Freedom Party in return for electoral reforms that expanded the Nationalrat and increased the proportionality of votes. Following the passage of these reforms, he called fresh elections in October 1971. Although the reforms were intended to benefit smaller parties, the Socialists won a strong majority government with 93 seats. They also won half the popular vote, something no Austrian party had ever achieved in a free election. Kreisky was reelected in 1975 and 1979 elections, each time winning comfortable majorities in the Nationalrat.

Kreisky turned 70 in 1981, and by this time the voters had become increasingly uncomfortable with what they saw as his complacency and preoccupation with international issues. At the

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Political views and programs

In office, Kreisky and his close ally, Justice Minister

During Kreisky's premiership, a wide range of progressive reforms was carried out. Amongst other reforms, employee benefits were expanded, the workweek was cut to 40 hours, and legislation providing for equality for women was passed. Kreisky's government established language rights for the country's Slovene and Croatian minorities. Following the 1974 oil shock, Kreisky committed Austria to developing nuclear power to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, although this policy was eventually abandoned after a referendum held in 1978. A moderate reform of the penal code was carried out, discrimination against illegitimate children was eliminated, marriage grants were introduced, mother-child pass (a pre-natal/post-natal care and infant health program) was established, a major reform of the penal code was carried out, and sex equality legislation was passed. In addition, four weeks of annual vacation were introduced, the office of ombudsman was established, the law of parentage was reordered, consumer protection legislation was passed, and social security coverage of the self-employed was introduced.^[7] In 1979, restrictions on redundancy and the dismissal of employees were made.^[8]

Widows' pensions were indexed in 1970, and in 1972, free medical checks for healthy people were made available, while optional health insurance for students was introduced. Periods of study, illness, and unemployment were allowed pensionable status, and in 1974 family and birth benefits were indexed.^[9] The 1973 Special Subsidies Act introduced subsidies for those made redundant as a result of structural changes. The Wage Continuation Act of 1974 introduced wage continuation for workers in private enterprises in cases of sickness. In 1976, accident insurance was extended to work-related activities. The Night-shift/Heavy Manual Work Act of 1981 introduced preventive healthcare and a special early retirement pension for heavy manual workers.^[10]

Full sick pay was extended to blue-collar unions in 1974, and family benefits were expanded to include full school transport (1971), a marriage payment (1972), payment for school books (1974), and a birth payment (1976). In 1978, due to a change from tax allowances to direct payments for children, family benefits increased significantly. Between 1973 and 1980, expenditure on health and education rose on average by 13.7% and by 12.9% per annum respectively. In education, pupil/teacher ratios fell sharply and a new university law was passed in 1975 in order to make higher education more democratic.^[11] The educational sector was significantly expanded under Kreisky, greatly increasing the numbers of Austrians receiving a university education.^[12]

The 1972 Crime Victims Act established the principles of compensation for health damages caused (directly or indirectly) by crimes punishable by more than 6 months' imprisonment. The 1974 Town Renovation Act dealt with the renovation of residential town areas, while the 1975 Housing Property Act established the property rights of house- and flat-owners. In 1975, housing supplements were extended to cover costs of housing improvements. In 1974, the work prohibiting periods before and after work birth were extended up to 8 weeks, and in 1976 the regulations were extended to adoptive mothers. A 1981 law adapted pension schemes to changes in the families' loads equalization scheme, and introduced a widowers' pension equivalent to the widows' pension. In 1976, accident insurance for pupils and students was introduced, while an act passed that same year enabled people to undertake the care of close relatives who were ill.^[13] Under the Bankruptcy Wage Continuation Act of 1979, claims against bankrupt firms were paid from a special fund.^[14] In 1982, a maternity allowance payable for 16 weeks was introduced for self-employed women.^[15]

Although the 1955 State Treaty prevented Austria from joining the European Union, he supported European integration.

Kreisky questioned

Later in his life Kreisky tried to help some Soviet dissidents. In particular, in 1983 he sent a letter to the Soviet premier Yuri Andropov demanding the release of dissident Yuri Orlov, but Andropov left Kreisky's letter unanswered.^[18]

Today, Kreisky's chancellorship is the subject of both controversy and nostalgia. Many of his former supporters see in Kreisky the last socialist of the old school and look back admiringly at an era when the standard of living was noticeably rising, when the welfare state was in full swing and when, by means of a state-funded programme promoting equality of opportunity, working class children were encouraged to stay on at school and eventually receive higher education.^[2] All this resulted in a decade of prosperity and optimism about the future.

Conservatives criticize Kreisky's policy of deficit spending, expressed in his famous comment during the 1979 election campaign that he preferred that the state run up high debts rather than see people become unemployed.^[19] They hold Kreisky responsible for Austria's subsequent economic difficulties.

Despite this criticism, Kreisky did much to transform Austria during his time in office, with considerable improvements in working conditions, a dramatic rise in the average standard of living,^[20] and a significant expansion of the welfare state,^[21][22][23] and arguably remains the most successful socialist Chancellor of Austria.

• Chancellor of Austria for a complete list of Federal Chancellors since the founding of the Republic in 1918
• Kreisky-Peter-Wiesenthal affair

• Bischof, Günter, and Anton Pelinka, eds. The Kreisky Era in Austria (Transaction publishers, 1994).
• Kreisky, Bruno, et al. The struggle for a democratic Austria: Bruno Kreisky on peace and social justice (Berghahn Books, 2000).
• Secher, H. Pierre. Bruno Kreisky, chancellor of Austria: a political biography (Dorrance Publ., 1993).
• Vivekanandan, Bhagavathi. Global Visions of Olof Palme, Bruno Kreisky and Willy Brandt: International Peace and Security, Co-operation, and Development (Springer, 2016).

• Wilsford, David, ed. Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 259–65

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruno Kreisky.

• The Bruno Kreisky Foundation
• Kreisky's dicta(in German)
• The Kreisky Years
• 100 Years Bruno Kreisky For the 100'th Birthday of Bruno Kreisky – Overview about his political work

Political offices
Preceded by Leopold Figl	Foreign Minister of Austria 1959 – 1966	Succeeded by Lujo Tončić-Sorinj
Preceded by Josef Klaus	Chancellor of Austria 1970 – 1983	Succeeded by Fred Sinowatz
Party political offices
Preceded by Bruno Pittermann	SPÖ Party chairman 1967 – 1983	Succeeded by Fred Sinowatz
Preceded by Prentis C. Hale	President of Organizing Committee for Winter Olympic Games 1964	Succeeded by Jean de Beaumont
Preceded by Kogoro Uemura	President of Organizing Committee for Winter Olympic Games 1976	Succeeded by Rev J. Bernard Fell
Academic offices
Preceded by Simone Veil	College of Europe Orateur 1981	Succeeded by Gaston Thorn