Austria's Vote: Joining Germany Or Standing Alone?

On April 10, 1938, a referendum was held in German-occupied Austria to ask the population if they agreed for the country to be annexed by Germany. The official result was reported as 99.73% in favour. However, the referendum was held under highly manipulated circumstances. German troops had occupied Austria a month earlier, on March 12, 1938, to prevent an Austrian referendum on sovereignty that was planned for the following day. Political dissidents and Austrian citizens of Roma or Jewish origin were not allowed to vote. The ballots were designed with a large circle for 'yes' votes and a small one for 'no' votes, and voters were made to mark their choice in front of campaign workers, effectively eliminating voting secrecy.

The 1938 Austrian Anschluss referendum

On April 10, 1938, a month after German troops invaded Austria, a sham referendum was held in German-occupied Austria on the Anschluss with Germany. The official result showed 99.73% of voters in favour of the reunification of Austria with the German Reich, with a 99.71% turnout.

The Austrian government had initially planned a referendum for March 13, 1938, to assert its sovereignty. However, Germany invaded Austria on March 12 to prevent this vote from taking place. Hitler's forces suppressed all opposition, arresting prominent representatives of the First Republic, such as Richard Schmitz, Leopold Figl, Friedrich Hillegeist, and Franz Olah. During the few weeks between the invasion and the referendum, authorities rounded up Social Democrats, Communists, other potential political dissenters, and Austrian Jews, imprisoning them or sending them to concentration camps. Within a few days of the invasion, 70,000 people had been arrested.

The referendum was not a secret ballot. The ballots featured a large circle for 'yes' votes and a small one for 'no' votes. Many people marked their ballot papers in front of campaign workers so as not to be suspected of voting against the Anschluss. The secrecy of the ballot was, in practice, non-existent. Nazi propaganda and the suppression of opposition further pressured people to vote 'yes'. Additionally, political enemies, such as communists and socialists, and Austrian citizens of Roma or Jewish origin—roughly 360,000 people or 8% of the Austrian population—were not allowed to vote.

The officially published results of the referendum showed 99.73% of voters in favour of the reunification. After the referendum's "approval", Austria was integrated as several administrative divisions into Nazi Germany. However, according to estimates, in a fair plebiscite, the Anschluss would have been supported by only 20% of the Austrian population.

The Austrian government's planned referendum

The Austrian government had planned a referendum to assert its sovereignty, which was scheduled for 13 March 1938. However, Germany invaded Austria on 12 March 1938, the day before the vote was to take place, in order to prevent it from happening. This referendum was to be held after Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg called for a referendum (plebiscite) on the issue of Austrian independence, to be held on 13 March 1938.

In the face of rioting by the Austrian Nazi Party and ever-expanding German demands on Austria, Schuschnigg called for the referendum. Infuriated, Adolf Hitler threatened to invade Austria and demanded Schuschnigg's resignation and the appointment of the Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as his replacement. Hitler's plan was for Seyss-Inquart to call for German troops to rush to Austria's aid, restoring order and giving the invasion an air of legitimacy.

To secure a large majority in the referendum, Schuschnigg dismantled the one-party state. He agreed to legalise the Social Democrats and their trade unions in return for their support in the referendum. He also set the minimum voting age at 24 to exclude younger voters because the Nazi movement was most popular among the youth. In contrast, Hitler had lowered the voting age for German elections held under Nazi rule, largely to compensate for the removal of Jews and other ethnic minorities from the German electorate following the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws in 1935.

Hitler declared that the referendum would be subject to major fraud and that Germany would never accept it. In addition, the German ministry of propaganda issued press reports that riots had broken out in Austria and that large parts of the Austrian population were calling for German troops to restore order. Schuschnigg immediately responded that reports of riots were false.

Hitler sent an ultimatum to Schuschnigg on 11 March, demanding that he hand over all power to the Austrian Nazis or face an invasion. Without waiting for an answer, Hitler had already signed the order to send troops into Austria by 1:00 pm. Nevertheless, the German Führer underestimated his opposition.

The referendum, which was to ask voters to support or reject the following call for Austrian independence: "For a free and German, independent and social, for a Christian and united Austria! For peace and work and the equality of all who profess the Volk and Fatherland."

The invasion of Austria

Political Background

Austria, which had a significant German-speaking population, had long desired unification with Germany. This desire intensified after World War I, when the newly founded Republic of German-Austria claimed sovereignty over the German-speaking territories of the former Habsburg Empire. However, the Treaty of Saint Germain, signed in September 1919, not only forced Austria to change its name from "German-Austria" to "Austria" but also prohibited any attempts at unification with Germany.

Rise of Nazism in Austria

Despite the treaty's restrictions, support for unification remained strong in Austria, especially among citizens of the political left and center. The idea of a “Greater Germany” gained further traction when Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933. Hitler, himself an Austrian, had expressed his intention to unite all Germans, both within and outside Germany, into a single state.

Austrian Nazis, supported by Hitler, attempted a coup in July 1934, which resulted in the assassination of Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. However, the coup failed, and many leading Austrian Nazis fled to Germany, where they continued their efforts to promote unification.

Hitler's Threats and Demands

In February 1938, Hitler invited the Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to Germany and forced him to agree to concessions that essentially gave Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg, however, later tried to reassert Austrian independence by announcing a plebiscite on the unification question, scheduled for March 13, 1938.

Hitler was furious and threatened to invade Austria if the plebiscite went ahead. He demanded that Schuschnigg cancel the plebiscite, resign, and appoint the Austrian Nazi leader Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. Faced with no support from Italy, France, or Britain, Schuschnigg conceded to Hitler's demands and resigned.

The Invasion

On March 11, 1938, Hitler gave the final order for German troops to cross the Austrian border at dawn on March 12. The invasion was unopposed as the Austrian military had been ordered not to resist. Hitler himself crossed the border at his birthplace, Braunau am Inn, with a 4,000-man bodyguard. The enthusiasm with which Hitler and the German troops were greeted in Austria took many by surprise, and Hitler decided to absorb Austria directly into the German Reich.

On March 13, 1938, Seyss-Inquart, who had been appointed chancellor the previous day, announced the abrogation of Article 88 of the Treaty of Saint Germain, which prohibited the unification of Austria and Germany. This was followed by a controlled plebiscite on April 10, 1938, which officially recorded a 99.7% approval for the unification.

International Reaction

The international response to the invasion and subsequent unification was relatively muted. While the annexation was condemned by most countries, there was no military confrontation, and even Italy, France, and Britain, who had formed the "Stresa Front," maintained peace. The loudest verbal protest came from the government of Mexico.

The Austrian vote

On April 10, 1938, a referendum was held in German-occupied Austria to determine if the country should be annexed by Germany. The vote, which was held alongside a similar referendum in Germany, took place a month after German troops had occupied Austria, on March 12, 1938.

The referendum was preceded by a series of events that began on March 9, 1938, when Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg announced a referendum to let the Austrian people decide if they wanted to be a part of Hitler's Germany. Fearing that a negative outcome would ruin his excuse for invading Austria, Hitler ordered his generals to prepare for invasion and demanded that Schuschnigg call off the referendum. With no support from Italy, and knowing that France and Britain would not interfere, Schuschnigg conceded, calling off the referendum and resigning.

Hitler then reassured Czechoslovakia that they had nothing to fear, before sending his troops into Austria unopposed on March 12. The following month, the referendum was held, with a reported 99.73% of voters approving German control of their country. However, the referendum was subject to widespread manipulation and rigging.

Firstly, the ballots featured a large circle for 'yes' votes and a small one for 'no' votes, and voting was not secret. The secrecy of the ballot was non-existent, as people often marked the ballot paper in front of campaign workers for fear of being suspected of voting against annexation.

Secondly, certain groups were not allowed to vote. Political enemies, including communists, socialists, and Austrian citizens of Roma or Jewish origin, were disenfranchised. Approximately 360,000 people, or 8% of the Austrian population, were unable to vote.

Thirdly, the referendum was heavily influenced by large-scale Nazi propaganda. The vote was promoted by a propaganda campaign, and the results were likely influenced by the intimidation and violence perpetrated by Nazi supporters.

Finally, the referendum question itself was leading and suggestive: "Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich that was enacted on 13 March 1938, and do you vote for the party of our leader Adolf Hitler?"

Despite the official result of 99.73% in favour, the Austrian government estimated that in a fair plebiscite, only about 20% of the Austrian population would have supported the Anschluss, with Gestapo reports indicating even lower support in most rural areas.

The Anschluss result

On April 10, 1938, a referendum was held in German-occupied Austria to determine if the population agreed to the country's annexation by Germany. The official result reported 99.73% of voters in favour of the reunification of Austria with the German Reich, with a 99.71% turnout. However, the referendum was a sham, held a month after German troops had invaded and occupied Austria on March 12, 1938, to prevent an Austrian referendum on sovereignty scheduled for March 13.

The referendum question was:

> Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich that was enacted on 13 March 1938, and do you vote for the party of our leader Adolf Hitler?

The ballots featured a large circle for 'yes' votes and a small one for 'no' votes. Voting was not secret, as it took place under the supervision of campaign workers, pressuring people to vote 'yes'. Political opponents, including communists, socialists, Austrian citizens of Roma or Jewish origin, and former members of left-wing parties, were not allowed to vote. Overall, around 360,000 people, or 8% of the eligible voting population, were disenfranchised.

The referendum was supported by powerful figures and organisations, including the Social Democratic Party of Austria, whose leader Karl Renner endorsed Adolf Hitler, and Cardinal Theodor Innitzer, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in Austria. Two-thirds of Austrians were expected to vote for the Anschluss as a result of these endorsements. However, Innitzer was intimidated into endorsing the union and was assaulted by Nazi supporters. Additionally, the Vatican condemned Nazism and forbade Catholics from supporting the union.

The official referendum results were questioned by some, including American historian Evan Burr Bukey, who warned that they should be viewed with "great caution". It was speculated that, in a fair plebiscite, only about 20% of the Austrian population would have supported the union, with Gestapo reports indicating even lower support in most rural areas.

Following the referendum, Austria was integrated as several administrative divisions into Nazi Germany.

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