Victor Adler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victor Adler
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Adler about 1900
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 30 October 1918 – 11 November 1918 |
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| Chancellor | Karl Renner |
| Preceded by | office established (partly Gyula Andrássy, Jr. as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary) |
| Succeeded by | Otto Bauer |
| Chairman of the SDAPÖ | |
| In office 1 January 1889 – November 1918 |
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| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | Karl Seitz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 June 1852 Prague, Bohemia, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 11 November 1918 (aged 66) Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAP) |
| Parents | Salomon Markus Adler Johanna Herzl |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Profession | Neurologist |
Victor Adler (born June 24, 1852 – died November 11, 1918) was an important Austrian politician. He was a key leader in the labour movement, which worked to improve conditions for workers. He also founded the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) in Austria.
Early Life and Education
Victor Adler was born in Prague, which was part of the Austrian Empire at the time. His father was a merchant from a Jewish family. When Victor was three years old, his family moved to Vienna, the capital city.
He went to a famous Catholic school called the Schottenstift gymnasium. After school, he studied chemistry and medicine at the University of Vienna. In 1881, he finished his studies and worked as a doctor, focusing on mental health.
Family Life
In 1878, Victor Adler married Emma Braun. Their son, Friedrich, was born in 1879. For several years, the family lived in a building that later became famous. It was the office of Sigmund Freud, a very well-known doctor who studied the mind. Today, it is the Sigmund Freud Museum.
Political Journey
Victor Adler first supported a movement that wanted to unite German-speaking people in Austria. However, this movement started to become unfair to Jewish people. Adler disagreed with these ideas. He decided to focus on helping people with social problems instead.
Fighting for Workers' Rights
From 1886, Adler started a Marxist newspaper called Gleichheit (meaning Equality). This newspaper wrote about the difficult working conditions in factories, like the Wienerberger brick factory. It also spoke out against unfair payment systems. When Gleichheit was banned, he started another newspaper called Arbeiter-Zeitung (Workers' Newspaper) in 1889.
Adler traveled to Germany and Switzerland to meet other important thinkers. He met people like Friedrich Engels, August Bebel, and Karl Liebknecht. Because of his strong activities, he faced difficulties and spent some time in prison.
Uniting the Labour Movement
Victor Adler was a calm but inspiring leader for the social democratic movement. He managed to bring together different groups of workers in Austria. He fought against laws that were unfair to workers, which the government had put in place.
At a meeting in Hainfeld in 1888, he officially formed the Social Democratic Workers' Party. He became the very first chairman of this new party.
Achieving Universal Suffrage
In 1905, Adler became a member of the Imperial Council, which was like Austria's parliament. He played a big part in the fight for universal suffrage. This meant that all men, no matter how much money they had, could vote. This important right was finally achieved in 1906. After this, the Social Democrats won many seats in the 1907 Cisleithanian legislative election.
Adler also supported the Second International, a group of socialist parties from different countries. He wanted to keep the Austrian Social Democrats united, even though there were many different ethnic groups in Austria. He also supported the idea of a "United States of Greater Austria." This idea aimed to change the old Dual Monarchy into a more modern and fair system.
Later Years and Legacy
Before World War I, Victor Adler was a key leader of the Social Democratic Party in Vienna. When the war started, he publicly supported the government's decision to join. However, he had private worries about it.
In October 1918, he joined the new Austrian government as a minister. He supported the idea of Austria joining with Germany. Sadly, he died of heart failure on November 11, 1918. This was the very last day of World War I.
Victor Adler was the father of Friedrich Adler. A famous psychiatrist named Viktor Frankl was named after Victor Adler, because Frankl's father admired him. Victor Adler is buried in Vienna.
See also
In Spanish: Víctor Adler para niños
- Linz Program of 1882
