Fred Sinowatz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fred Sinowatz
Chancellor of Austria
In office 24 May 1983 – 16 June 1986
President	Rudolf Kirchschläger
Vice-Chancellor	Norbert Steger
Preceded by	Bruno Kreisky
Succeeded by	Franz Vranitzky
Vice-Chancellor of Austria
In office 20 January 1981 – 24 May 1983
Chancellor	Bruno Kreisky
Preceded by	Hannes Androsch
Succeeded by	Norbert Steger
Chair of the Social Democratic Party
In office 27 October 1983 – 11 May 1988
Preceded by	Bruno Kreisky
Succeeded by	Franz Vranitzky
Minister of Education and the Arts
In office 4 November 1971 – 24 May 1983
Chancellor	Bruno Kreisky
Preceded by	Leopold Gratz
Succeeded by	Helmut Zilk
Member of the National Council
In office 18 June 1986 – 22 September 1988
Constituency	Burgenland–Lower Austria–Vienna
In office 4 November 1971 – 31 May 1983
Constituency	1 – Burgenland
Personal details
Born	(1929-02-05)5 February 1929 Neufeld an der Leitha, Burgenland, Austria
Died	11 August 2008(2008-08-11) (aged 79) Vienna, Austria
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Signature

Alfred Sinowatz (born February 5, 1929 – died August 11, 2008) was an important Austrian politician. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ). From 1983 to 1986, he served as the Chancellor of Austria, which is like being the head of government.

Before becoming Chancellor, he held other key roles. He was the Minister of Education from 1971 to 1983. He also served as Vice-Chancellor from 1981 to 1983. Sinowatz resigned as Chancellor after the 1986 presidential election.

Early Life and Political Start

Fred Sinowatz was born in Neufeld an der Leitha, a town in Burgenland, Austria. His family was part of the local Croatian community. He went to high school in Wiener Neustadt and Baden. There, he earned his Matura degree, which is like a high school diploma.

Sinowatz studied history at the University of Vienna. He earned his doctorate degree in 1953. After his studies, he started working for the government in Burgenland. He joined the provincial archive in 1956.

In 1957, Sinowatz was elected to his hometown's local assembly. He became a regional party secretary for the SPÖ in 1961. That same year, he became a member of the Burgenland state parliament (Landtag). From 1964 to 1966, he was the speaker of this parliament. In 1966, he joined the provincial government as the Minister of Education for the state.

Minister of Education

In 1971, Sinowatz became a member of the Austrian national parliament, called the National Council. On November 4, 1971, he became the Minister of Education and Arts. He served in this role for twelve years under Chancellor Bruno Kreisky.

During his time as Minister, Sinowatz made big changes to education in Austria. These changes helped more people from different backgrounds get a good education. In 1982, he helped make Buddhism in Austria an officially recognized religion.

In 1981, he also became Vice-Chancellor. This happened after Finance Minister Hannes Androsch left his position.

Leading Austria as Chancellor

The SPÖ party had been very strong in parliament since 1970. However, in the 1983 election, they lost some seats. They won 90 seats, which was two short of a majority. Because of this, Chancellor Kreisky resigned. Fred Sinowatz then became Chancellor, even though he was not eager for the job.

He formed a government with the Freedom Party (FPÖ). This party was led by Norbert Steger, who became Vice-Chancellor. In late 1983, Sinowatz also took over as the leader of the SPÖ party.

In 1984, his government faced a big challenge. Thousands of people protested against building a power station in the Danube floodplain. This event was called the Occupation of the Hainburger Au. There were clashes between police and protesters. Sinowatz helped calm the situation. He stopped the clearing of the forest and announced a "Christmas Peace" on December 22, 1984. This decision came after a lot of public pressure.

His time as Chancellor had other difficulties. There was a scandal involving wine in 1985. There were also issues with a new hospital in Vienna and problems with nationalized industries. One big problem was the increasing debt of the VÖEST-Alpine steel company.

Near the end of his term, Sinowatz also faced pressure over a former German soldier. This soldier, Walter Reder, had been imprisoned since World War II. When he returned to Austria, the Defense Minister, who was from the Freedom Party, officially welcomed him.

Sinowatz was known for his thoughtful way of speaking. He once said, "I know well, (...) that is all very complicated just like this world in which we live and act..." This quote is often shortened to "Everything is very complicated."

The Waldheim Controversy

Before the 1986 presidential election, a controversy began. The candidate for the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) was Kurt Waldheim. Waldheim had been the UN Secretary-General.

Chancellor Sinowatz suggested that Waldheim might have had a connection to the Nazis in the past. This comment became public and led to a big debate about Waldheim's wartime history.

During the election campaign, Sinowatz strongly spoke out against Waldheim. When Waldheim said he was not a member of a Nazi group, but only rode horses with its members, Sinowatz famously replied: "So we note that Kurt Waldheim never was a member of the SA, but only his horse."

After Waldheim won the election, Sinowatz resigned. He handed over his role as Chancellor to Finance Minister Franz Vranitzky. Vranitzky also took over as the leader of the SPÖ party in 1988. Sinowatz also left his position as a member of parliament.

Later Years and Legacy

After leaving politics, Fred Sinowatz lived a private life in his home in Burgenland. He passed away on August 11, 2008, at the age of 79. He had undergone heart surgery two weeks before his death. At the time he died, he was the oldest living former Austrian chancellor.

Images for kids

• 

  Fred Sinowatz's signature from 1976.

See also

In Spanish: Fred Sinowatz para niños

• Politics of Austria

Note

• This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia, as of 21 January 2005.