Arbeiterbildungsvereine

Arbeiterbildungsvereine (Workers' Educational Societies), a typical feature of the phase of organisation of the Labour Movement in Austria, associations that combined educational (lectures, courses and libraries), social (singing, gymnastics, etc.), economic (health and invalidity funds) and - though initially forbidden under the association law - political objectives. Emerging in many parts of the monarchy from 1867, these associations were mostly founded and supported by Liberals, but many of them soon became grassroots organisations of the Social Democrats. After the Hainfelder Parteitag of 1888/89 they gave way, in many cases, to union-type crafts associations, which also professed the "imparting of knowledge, enlightenment and education" to be one of its objectives. From 1908 onwards the two rival organisations cooperated with one another in the "Education Committee of the Vienna Workers' Organisations", which ultimately resulted in the full integration of the workers' educational societies in the Social Democratic Workers' Party ( Sozial-demokratische Arbeiterpartei - SDAP) ein. Zentralstelle für das Bildungswesen.

Literature: P.-H. Kucher, in: Die Schul- und Bildungspolitik der österreichischen Sozial-Demokratie in der 1. Republik, 1983.