Concepts of the Demos in Parliamentary Rhetoric

The paper seeks to trace in an exemplary way theoretical conceptions of the Demos/ people, which underlie rhetorical constructions of the Demos in parliamentary rhetoric in Austrian postwar parliamentary debate. In Austria, unlike in Germany, the idea of ‘militant democracy’ is not anchored in the Constitution. Nevertheless, there are as well several formal rules restricting the freedom of expression and participation in order to prevent a resurgence of National Socialist ideas and organizations or similar tendencies. Moreover, it is rather often that the concept of ‘militant democracy’ as a comprehensive vision for Austria is referred to in plenary rhetoric since 1945. Against this backdrop, the paper addresses the following questions: 1.) Which conceptions of the Demos underlie these references to the concept of ‘militant democracy’? Who is defined to be an integral part of it, who is not? 2.) Who refers to ‘militant democracy’ and what are the respective strategic purposes that can be identified? 3.) In which thematic contexts are they embedded and how are these rhetorical references related to the development of liberal pluralist democracy?