How a group of young men managed to take over the government and lead it to the brink of democracy. What drove the “Praetorians” and why almost the entire country was at their feet. Why the European public marveled and admired this. What caused the “Kurz system” to fail. In 2010, Sebastian Kurz catapulted himself to the center of attention, and shortly thereafter he became Secretary of State for Integration, Foreign Minister, head of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), and finally Chancellor of the Republic of Austria in 2017. His path to the top was meticulously planned, including with dishonest means. The power in the state was in the hands of a few people, his “Praetorians”, as they called themselves.

The media, skeptical at first, quickly became fond of him. In Germany, the Bild-Zeitung celebrates Austria’s “plain-speaking chancellor” even up to this day. One might even think that a comeback is in the offing, while in Austria the process of coming to terms with the past is just getting underway.