Engelbert Dollfuss

Although while some of his friends, including Heimwehr, a paramilitary, far-right nationalist organisation, would unquestionably fall on the "fascist" side of the spectrum, Engelbert Dollfuss' appointment as Austria's chancellor in May 1932 wasn't exactly an authoritarian takeover. However, that would only continue for about a year when he forcibly disbanded the legislature in 1933 and imposed an authoritarian, corporatist government modeled after Portugal's Estado Novo.

Dollfuss occupies an odd position on this list because he was strongly anti-Nazi despite holding the typical fascist views of being anti-communist, nationalist, pro-corporate, and extreme right-wing. It was a moment when Austrian fascism, supported by Mussolini's Italy, had all the characteristics of other fascist regimes at the time, but it resisted joining the sphere of influence of Nazi Germany. The fact that his government didn't last very long—he was slain in an attempt at a coup by members of the Austrian Nazi Party—means that it was also far less harsh than most other entries on this list.

Born: 4 October 1892, Texing, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary
Died: 25 July 1934 (aged 41)Vienna, Austria