Stutzen, Tracht, und Fahne: Tiroler Standschützen Culture in Late Imperial Austria

Throughout the historiography of the Heimwehr (home guard) movement, the prevailing notion is that it was simply a product of the "culture of defeat" in central Europe in the wake of the First World War. While there was an enormous amount political and economic chaos in the newly minted Austrian republic, the cultural moors of Austrians did not shift entirely over the course of the war. As Jay Winter contends, traditional rituals often found renewed significance among the populations of Europe throughout the course of the Great War. This paper will argue that the centuries old militia system of the Tirol provided the foundation for the Tiroler Heimatwehr. From supplying a ready-made infrastructure, to its influence on the formations' practices and culture, there are clear continuities of imperial civic militarism exhibited within the Tiroler Heimatwehr that cannot be discounted. As this paper will demonstrate, the core of the Tiroler Schutzenwesen (Tyrolean militia system) was local shooting ranges (Schießstände), which functioned as principle nodes of civil-military interaction in the Tirol. Though the primary purpose of the ranges was marksmanship, they facilitated the development a militaristic Alpine culture.

As Laurence Cole has pointed out, the ranges were spaces of regional and imperial patriotism and identity. They were also spaces where Tyrolean men found camaraderie and masculinity through shooting competitions, rituals such as flag dedications, and through celebratory parades and religious processions. Beyond this, shooting ranges facilitated social functions such as concerts and dances; they were intrinsic features of Tyrolean communities. As such, Habsburg officials integrated the system of shooting ranges into the imperial military system as mobilization points for veterans and reservists obliged to defend the monarchy in the event of war. Though the monarchy collapsed, the militaristic culture of the Schutzenwesen still remains.