On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, was the first major step in Austrian-born Hitler's desire to create a Greater German Reich that was to include all ethnic Germans and all the lands and territories that the German Empire had lost after the First World War. Although Austria was predominantly ethnically German and had been part of the Holy Roman Empire until it dissolved in 1806 and the German Confederation until 1866, it had never been a part of the German Empire. The unification of Germany brought about by Otto von Bismarck created that Prussian-dominated entity in 1871, with Austria, Prussia's rival for dominance of the German states, explicitly excluded.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Date of invasion | 12 March 1938 |
Invading country | Germany |
Invaded country | Austria |
Reason for invasion | To annex Austria into the Third Reich |
Treaty violated by the invasion | Treaty of Versailles, Treaty of Saint-Germain |
Countries that protested the invasion | Mexico, Britain, France |
Austrian chancellor at the time of invasion | Kurt von Schuschnigg |
German leader at the time of invasion | Adolf Hitler |
Austrian chancellor appointed after invasion | Arthur Seyss-Inquart |
Number of German troops that invaded Austria | 25,000 |
Number of Austrians who fought for the Nazi German armed forces | 950,000 |
What You'll Learn
The Anschluss
The Road to the Anschluss
The idea of a union between Austria and Germany, or Anschluss, arose after the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austria and German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. Support for the Anschluss grew after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, and the subsequent Treaty of Saint Germain, which forbade a union between the two countries. The idea gained further traction during the 1920s, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center, due to the belief that Austria, stripped of its imperial land, was not economically viable.
When Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification became synonymous with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their ideology. Hitler, himself an Austrian German, had written in his 1925 autobiography, Mein Kampf, that he would create a union between his birth country and Germany by any means possible.
In 1934, Austrian and German Nazis attempted a coup in Austria, during which Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated. The coup failed, but the Austrian Nazis continued to carry out terrorist attacks, causing a death toll of more than 800 between 1934 and 1938.
The Berchtesgaden Agreement
In February 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg met with Hitler, who presented him with a set of demands, including the appointment of Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a long-time supporter of the Nazis, as Minister of Public Security. Schuschnigg agreed to these demands, but on March 9, he called a referendum on Austrian independence, to be held on March 13. Infuriated, Hitler threatened to invade, and on March 11, he sent an ultimatum to Schuschnigg, demanding his resignation and the appointment of Seyss-Inquart as chancellor.
The Annexation
On the morning of March 12, German troops crossed the Austrian border and were greeted by cheering Austrians. Hitler himself crossed the border at his birthplace, Braunau am Inn, and was given an enthusiastic welcome in Linz, where 250,000 Austrians gathered to meet him. On March 13, 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, and approved the replacement of the Austrian states with Reichsgaue.
The seizure of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions, and the failure of Britain and France to take action against him emboldened his further aggression. Austria remained part of Germany until the end of World War II, when the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void and reestablished an independent Austria.
Austria's Role in German Reunification: Support or Opposition?
You may want to see also
The Austrian Civil War
The socialists' defeat led to arrests, executions, and the banning of the Social Democratic Party. In May 1934, Austria's democratic constitution was replaced by an Austrofascist constitution, with the Fatherland Front as the only legal party. This marked a significant shift in the country's political landscape, as the First Austrian Republic had been formed as a parliamentary democracy after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in October 1918. The new regime was authoritarian and conservative, with close ties to the Catholic Church.
Austria-Hungary's German Alliance: Who Made the First Move?
You may want to see also
The Soviet Occupation of Austria
In 1945, Soviet troops from the 3rd and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts crossed into Austria from Hungary. The Red Army suffered heavy losses in the preceding battles in Hungary, and the fighting in Austria was equally brutal. The Soviets captured Vienna and advanced towards Linz and Graz. Skirmishes between the Red Army and German soldiers continued into late May, even after the fighting had ceased elsewhere in Europe. The Red Army suffered 94,185 casualties in Austria, with 26,006 killed and 68,179 wounded.
In line with the Moscow Declaration, the Soviets treated Austria as a defeated Axis power but also acknowledged its role as a victim of Nazi Germany. As a result, Austria avoided some of the harsh consequences imposed on Germany, such as territorial losses and the expulsion of ethnic Germans to the Soviet Union. However, the Soviets demanded German assets in Austria as reparations, and local governments were burdened with the task of feeding and clothing the Red Army. NKVD (Soviet secret police) teams were deployed to extract reparations through the seizure of industrial plants and production installations.
During the initial months of the Soviet occupation, Soviet military tribunals arrested around 800 Austrian civilians, with charges ranging from belonging to the Nazi resistance to espionage and war crimes. By the time the Red Army withdrew from Austria in 1955, they had arrested 2,400 Austrians, with approximately 150 executed and others receiving lengthy prison sentences.
The scale of political violence experienced by Austrians under Soviet occupation was relatively limited compared to other countries occupied by the Red Army. This was partly due to Moscow's lack of intention to impose a communist dictatorship in Austria and its recognition of Austria's role as a victim of Nazi Germany. Additionally, Austria was not a high priority for Moscow in terms of geopolitical interests.
The Soviet occupation had a significant impact on the post-war situation in Austria. Looting and sexual violence by Soviet troops, as well as food shortages, defined the end of the war for most Austrians. Parliamentary elections in November 1945 resulted in a victory for the coalition of Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, while the Communist Party of Austria received less than 6% of the national vote. The Soviets maintained control in their occupation zone until 1955, when they withdrew along with the Western Allies after Austria pledged to remain neutral in the Cold War.
The History of Bavaria and Its Austrian Connections
You may want to see also
The Austrian Resistance
One of the most notable Austrian Resistance groups was led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This group sought to re-establish a Habsburg monarchy after the war and played a crucial role in providing the Allies with information on the production sites of V-1 and V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft. They also maintained contact with Allen Dulles, head of the U.S. OSS in Switzerland, and their intelligence contributed to key operations such as Operation Crossbow and Operation Hydra, which were precursors to Operation Overlord. Additionally, the Maier group was one of the first to report the mass murder of Jews, utilizing contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.
Other notable resistance groups included the Carinthian Slovenes, who formed a nucleus of the resistance after targeted deportations and forced Germanisation by the Nazi regime; the Austrian Freedom Front, a partisan group led by Communist leader Franz Honner and supported by the USSR; and the group in Ötztal founded by Wolfgang Pfaundler and Hubert Sauerwein, which had around 50 members.
Skiing in Austria: COVID Restrictions and Requirements
You may want to see also
The Austrian Identity and the Victim Theory
The victim theory, encapsulated in the slogan "Austria – the Nazis' first victim", was the Austrian ideological basis formed by Austrians themselves under Allied occupation and the independent Second Austrian Republic. The theory stated that the 1938 Anschluss was an act of military aggression by the Third Reich, and that Austrian statehood had been interrupted, meaning the revived Austria of 1945 could not be considered responsible for the Nazis' crimes. The theory became a fundamental myth in Austrian society, allowing bitter political opponents to unite and bring former Nazis back into social and political life. It also helped Austrians to distance themselves from their German "occupiers" and build a national identity.
The victim theory was first used in English-speaking journalism in 1938, before the beginning of the Anschluss. The writer Paul Gallico, of Austrian origin, published a novel that year, depicting an Austrian society strongly detesting the newly imposed Nazi rule, with Austrians feeling oppressed by vicious alien rule, and hardly any Austrians collaborating with the Nazis.
The Allies started to discuss Austria's postwar destiny in 1941. The Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was Germany's first victim, but that it would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression, was a key moment. The declaration meant that Austria would emerge as an independent state, and it was used by the founders of the Second Austrian Republic to support their victim theory.
The victim theory insisted that all Austrians, including those who strongly supported Adolf Hitler, had been unwilling victims of the Nazi regime and were therefore not responsible for its crimes. This allowed for the integration of former Nazis (1/6 of all adults in the country) into social and political life. It also helped Austrians to build a national identity, separate from their German "occupiers".
The theory was challenged in the 1980s, particularly following the election of former Wehrmacht intelligence officer Kurt Waldheim as federal president in 1986, which put Austria on the verge of international isolation. Powerful external pressure and an internal political discussion forced Austrians to reconsider their attitude to the past, and the nation eventually admitted its collective responsibility for the crimes committed during the Nazi occupation, officially abandoning the victim theory.
Austrian Economics: Do Conservatives Fit the Framework?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Germany invaded Austria on March 12, 1938, and annexed the country into the Third Reich. This event is known as the Anschluss, which means "joining" or "connection" in German.
The German invasion of Austria was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population, with enthusiastic crowds greeting the German troops. Many Austrians joined the Nazi Party, and a significant number fought for the Nazi German armed forces during World War II.
The international community, including Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, did not intervene militarily or impose any punishments. Their acceptance of the annexation was an act of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler, allowing him to continue his expansionist policies unchecked. The loudest verbal protest came from the government of Mexico, which lodged a futile protest with the League of Nations.