Walter Pfrimer was an Austrian politician and leader of the Heimwehr in Styria.
10 Facts About Walter Pfrimer
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Walter Pfrimer was the leader of a failed putsch in 1931.
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The son of a wine merchant, Pfrimer studied law at the University of Graz, gaining his doctorate in 1906.
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Walter Pfrimer became a Heimwehr leader early in the movement's life and initially won the financial backing of the Alpine Montangesellschaft, the largest heavy industry concern in Austria.
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Walter Pfrimer advocated Pan-Germanist and Volkische ideals and used the swastika for his Heimwehr units.
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Walter Pfrimer took up with Ernst Rudiger Starhemberg and helped to ensure that the nobleman replaced Steidle as Heimwehr leader in 1930.
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Walter Pfrimer was a staunch opponent of socialism, often leading his men in violent attacks on the Social Democratic Party of Austria, whilst rejecting parliamentary democracy as un-German.
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Walter Pfrimer failed to gain support from the other regional leaders and indeed the coup was so poorly organised that it was easily put down by the otherwise weak government of Karl Buresch.
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Walter Pfrimer fled to Yugoslavia before returning to face a treason trial but in a surprise move he was acquitted of all charges.
10.
Finally in 1933 Walter Pfrimer allied himself and his units to the Nazis and before long his group had been absorbed entirely and he became a strong advocate of Anschluss.