Who's Who: Victor Adler
Updated - Monday, 1 April, 2002

Victor Adler (1852-1918), the Austro-Hungarian politician, was a pre-war moderate social democrat and leader of the socialist party.

While Adler gave public backing to the imperial government's entry into the war he regarded its prospects with infinitely more concern on a private level.  He was nevertheless a supporter of closer integration with Germany.

A necessity during wartime in any event, Adler seized the opportunity towards the close of the war in October-November 1918 - as newly-appointed Foreign Secretary - to try and fashion political union between the new Austria and Germany, both in a post-imperial era.

Suffering from ill health Adler died before the issue of union could be resolved.  In the event the Treaty of Versailles explicitly forbade moves towards a union.  In the meantime however Adler had died - ironically on the day the armistice came into effect, 11 November 1918 aged 66.

His son, Friedrich, was responsible for the assassination of Austrian Prime Minister Sturgkh in October 1916.

A "Dixie" (from the Hindi degci) was an army cooking pot.

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