Vienna

===Political history===
[[File:Sitzungssaal des Abgeordnetenhauses, Parlament, Wien.jpg|thumb|The Debating Chamber of the former House of Deputies of Austria in the [[Austrian Parliament Building|Parliament]]]]
In the twenty years before the First World War and until 1918, Viennese politics were shaped by the [[Christian Social Party (Austria)|Christian Social Party]]. In particular, long-term mayor [[Karl Lueger]] was able to not apply the general voting rights for men introduced by and for the parliament of imperial Austria, the ''Reichsrat'', in 1907, thereby excluding most of the working class from taking part in decisions. For [[Adolf Hitler]], who spent some years in Vienna, Lueger was a teacher of how to use [[antisemitism]] in politics.

Vienna is today considered the center of the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Social Democratic Party]] (SPÖ). During the period of the [[First Austrian Republic|First Republic]] (1918–1934), the Vienna Social Democrats undertook many social reforms. At that time, Vienna's municipal policy was admired by Socialists throughout Europe, who therefore referred to the city as "[[Red Vienna]]" (''Rotes Wien''). In February 1934 troops of the Austrian federal government under [[Engelbert Dollfuss]], who had closed down the first chamber of the federal parliament, the ''Nationalrat'', in 1933, and paramilitary socialist organizations were engaged in the Austrian Civil War, which led to the ban of the Social Democratic party.

The SPÖ has held the mayor's office and control of the city council/parliament at every free election since 1919. The only break in this SPÖ dominance came between 1934 and 1945, when the Social Democratic Party was illegal, mayors were appointed by the [[Austrofascism|Austrofascist]] and later by the [[Nazi Party|Nazi]] authorities. The current mayor of Vienna is [[Michael Ludwig (politician)|Michael Ludwig]] of the SPÖ.

The city has enacted many social democratic policies. The ''[[Gemeindebau]]ten'' are social housing assets that are well integrated into the city architecture outside the first or "inner" district. The low rents enable comfortable accommodation and good access to the city amenities. Many of the projects were built after the [[Second World War]] on vacant lots that were destroyed by bombing during the war. The city took particular pride in building them to a high standard. The social housing in Vienna provides living for more than 500,000 people.<ref>[https://www.wienerwohnen.at/wiener-gemeindebau/municipal-housing-in-vienna.html City of Vienna]</ref>