Transformations of Right-Wing Extremism in Austria

The article deals with the phenomenon of right-wing extremism using the Austrian National Socialist Theodor Soucek as a case study. In 1948, Soucek was sentenced to death for uncovering a "Nazi conspiracy". After he was pardoned, Soucek became politically active again in the mid-1950s. His attempt to cooperate with the FPO failed. In 1957 he founded the Social Organic Movement of Europe (SORBE), which advocated an extreme right-wing concept of Europe. The transnational networking of the extreme right in Europe is exemplified by the European Congress organized by Soucek in Salzburg in 1957. After the dissolution of SORBE, he lived in Franco's Spain and was active in European rightwing extremism until the end of his life. In this article, Soucek's political activities after 1945 are presented together for the first time on the basis of literature, contemporary media and comprehensive archival sources. All in all, Soucek is an example of an "old Nazi" who kept believing in Nazi ideology after 1945, even if he partly tried to adapt it to the new political situation. Thus, he can be classified as a typical representative of traditional right-wing extremism in Postwar Austria.