Adam Steidl (*1902)

Resistance at the Power Plant: The Courage of Adam Steidl Against the Nazi Regime

During the era of National Socialism, open resistance often led to persecution, imprisonment, or even death. Despite this climate of fear, individuals across society found the courage to oppose the dictatorship. One such person was Adam Steidl (*1912) from Solbad Hall (now Hall in Tyrol).
Despite pervasive surveillance and propaganda, Steidl and several of his colleagues refused to be intimidated. They held onto their independent thinking and political convictions, even in the face of severe potential consequences.

Resistance on the "Labour Front"

Adam Steidl, a auxiliary construction worker and a member of the Roman Catholic Church, was employed in the construction of the Inntal Power Plant in Kirchbichl. This major construction site employed several men with communist or socialist leanings. They used their time together not only for physical labour but also for political discussion. They openly spread communist propaganda, boldly criticised the Nazi regime, and spoke out against its policies.
Their resistance was expressed in clear terms: they praised conditions in the Soviet Union and prophesied that the Red Army would one day come to liberate Austria and Germany from the yoke of National Socialism. To the regime, this was high treason.

The "Crime": Looking Beyond Nazi Propaganda

The danger Steidl and his comrades Franz Leo and Peter Markl faced went beyond verbal criticism. At a time when listening to foreign radio broadcasts—branded by the Nazis as "enemy broadcasts" (Feindsender)—was strictly forbidden, they took the risk. They regularly tuned into these stations to get a perspective different from the state-controlled German media and to form an independent opinion on the war's actual progress.
They left no doubt about their stance, bluntly telling an SA man that they preferred "today's Russia" to "today's German Reich." Such a statement was a direct challenge to the core ideology of the state.

The Punishment: Prison and Confiscation

Their resistance did not go unnoticed. The state security apparatus struck. Adam Steidl was arrested and put on trial for his courageous stand against the Nazis. The verdict was one year in prison. Additionally, his radio was confiscated—the very tool that had given him access to independent information.

An Example of Civil Courage

The story of Adam Steidl is a powerful example of resistance by "ordinary" people. He was not a high-ranking politician or a military officer plotting a coup; he was a labourer who refused to surrender his mind and his convictions. His fight was waged not with a weapon, but with words and information. His fate reminds us that resistance had many faces and that every act of defiance in a dictatorship was a significant act of bravery.