How did Austrian paramilitary organisations amass weapons during the interwar period?
score:4
A few hundred or a few thousand rifles and handguns are nothing compared to the small arms issued to men by the thousands and millions during World War I and World War II. Most of the WWII weapons were not yet manufactured in 1934 but there were millions of WWI era and older weapons around in 1934.
If, for example, there were 10,000,000 each of rifles and pistols issued during WWI, and post war programs to collect those small arms were ninety percent successful, that would result in 1,000,000 each of pistols and rifles remaining in private hands after the end of WWI which was many times the numbers in the question.
And I believe that ordering pistols, rifles, and ammunition by mail order was legal and respectable in the USA and some other countries at that time, so if any Austrians got in contact with gun companies in the USA they could have ordered guns from them, though they might face problems importing those guns and might have to arrange to smuggle them into the country.
It is also a fact that there have been many wars, civil wars, revolutions, uprisings, and other conflicts in Europe in the 1920s, when various groups wanted or needed to get lots of weapons, many times the numbers mentioned in the question, and they managed to get those weapons.
Therefore, the Austrian Social Democrats were probably rather small scale customers in the European white, gray, and black arms markets of the times.
Upvote:3
Central and Eastern Europe was in turmoil in the 1920s.
- World War I ended with a defeat of Germany and Austria-Hungary and the breakup of Austria-Hungary.
- The central powers had been effective in the East, forcing Russia to sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. With the German defeat in the West it was forced to reverse the treaty, Poland was recreated and fought a bitter war with Russia. Then there was the Russian Civil War, with countless refugees moving across borders.
- German Freikorps fought in the Baltics.
Civilian gun ownership remained legal.
Civilians in central Europe might require a license to own a gun, and possibly provide a credible explanation when they applied for the license (and/or pass a background check), but there remained countless hunters and other gun owners. These people were required to account for the weapons they held, but if there is a market, there is a black market.
So there was a black market to supplement war-era hideaways.
More post
- 📝 Why did the person in charge of a principality not just declare themself king?
- 📝 In Russia, are the anniversaries of the various events that occurred in 1917 and '18 observed according to the Old Style or the New Style calendar?
- 📝 Jewish Money Lenders in England: What happened to Money Lendings after Expulsion?
- 📝 Are there instances where collective farming has actually brought benefit to the population
- 📝 Increment of workers in agriculture during periods of economical crisis
- 📝 If the prices for cotton increased during the Industrial Revolution, how would the increase affect the market for farm land?
- 📝 Historical examples of advanced societies that abruptly abandoned or changed religions?
- 📝 Why did France just give up without a major fight in WW2?
- 📝 Can anybody identify this piece of pottery?
- 📝 Did the Axis try to "bribe" Turkey into joining them during World War II?
- 📝 Is it true that Spartan soldiers fought naked?
- 📝 Does a description of the original design for the Great Seal of the United States by Simitiere survive?
- 📝 Could invocation and revocation of bastardry be used to manipulate primogeniture?
- 📝 The history of rivalry between US and Britain in late 19th Century and early 20th Century
- 📝 What was the first recorded use of Aerial Weapons in warfare?
- 📝 What is known about the possibility of a "real King Arthur"?
- 📝 In World War II, why was the ratio of killed to wounded of the Royal Navy twice that of the US Navy?
- 📝 How much did food cost in Babylon?
- 📝 Are there any archeological finds or primary source drawings of the Chinese "blade shaped" bamboo-copter or rotary fans?
- 📝 Why was there no "Atlantic Wall" equivalent on the Mediterranean coast of France?
- 📝 What was the price of going from England to New England as a passenger in the 1600s?
- 📝 What caused scientific and cultural decline of East Roman (Byzantine) Empire?
- 📝 Did the Persian Immortals instill fear in their Greek adversaries?
- 📝 Where other than Kronstadt did the Russian American Company train its employees?
- 📝 WW1: What would happen if an aerial bomb was dropped from too high an altitude?
- 📝 Was the danger of Germany bombing the US East Coast taken seriously and were measures taken to address it?
- 📝 In WWII, how were all pilots/soldiers able to identify enemy vehicles?
- 📝 In the USSR, what if any was the formal, ideological response to the Cultural Revolution in China?
- 📝 Hitler's Death: Fact or Fiction
- 📝 When modern time measurement first appeared and who invented it?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How did Austrian paramilitary organisations amass weapons during the interwar period?
- 📝 How did the authorities not find the speakeasy clubs during the prohibition?
- 📝 How did the Nazis plan to defeat America during World War II?
- 📝 How did people deal with ice on the roads during the horse-and-buggy era?
- 📝 How did the Allies communicate during World War II?
- 📝 How did Allies secure southern flank during "Race to the Rhine"?
- 📝 How did Bligh navigate during his open boat voyage after losing The Bounty?
- 📝 How did the way commanders ask their troops to deal with the immediate death of their comrades vary by country/culture during WWII?
- 📝 During the U.S. Prohibition, how did they get away with drinking alcohol?
- 📝 How much time did people have to take shelter during the Blitz in 1940-41?
- 📝 How did Soviet soldiers resist tanks during the battle of Shumshu?
- 📝 How Did Modern Weapons Change the Dynamics of City Fighting?
- 📝 How did the KPD relate to the German state during the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?
- 📝 How did one's statistical chance of survival as a hidden Jew change during the course of the Nazi occupation of northern France?
- 📝 During the French Revolution, how did the French address non-citizens?
- 📝 How did pumps work during the Age of Sail?
- 📝 How and why did the Cavalry lance temporarily fall out of favour during the 16-18th centuries?
- 📝 How long did it take to copy a Bible during the early propagation of the Christian faith?
- 📝 How did tobacco affect the English colonies economically during the 17th Century?
- 📝 How did China deal with the Black Death during the second plague pandemic?
- 📝 Did Viet Nam suffer a famine any time during the 1980s? And if not, how close was it to famine?
- 📝 During and right after the French Revolution, how did France maintain and operate such a big army all over Europe?
- 📝 How efficiently did the Red Army conduct itself during the invasion of Poland in 1939?
- 📝 How did the Soviet press talk about the opposing forces (mujahideens) during the Soviet-Afghan war?
- 📝 How did women's roles and rights change during the early Republican period in China?
- 📝 How did St. Genevieve manage to feed the Parisians during the 10-year-long blockade?
- 📝 How did the Swedish soldiers pray during the Thirty Years' War?
- 📝 How did John Duns Scotus live in England during the Scottish Wars of Independence?
- 📝 How did the Apollo-Soyuz test project affect the relationship between the USSR and USA during the cold war?
- 📝 How did messages get back and forth between ship and shore during the Battle of Cherbourg?