Hitler's Austria: A Socialist Nation?

In 1938, Adolf Hitler annexed Austria into Nazi Germany, an event known as the Anschluss. The Anschluss was the culmination of Hitler's long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. While the Anschluss was met with enthusiasm by most Austrians, it is important to note that the Nazis were neither a party of socialists nor a party of workers. Hitler's primary focus was on achieving power and advancing his racist, anti-Semitic agenda. He smashed Germany's democratic institutions and transformed the country into a war state intent on conquering Europe for the so-called Aryan race.

Hitler's annexation of Austria

In early 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13. Hitler, portraying this as defying the popular will, threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On March 12, the German army crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. A plebiscite was held on April 10, with threats and coercion employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the population's true opinions are unknown, it is estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

Hitler's forces suppressed all opposition. Before the first German soldier crossed the border, Heinrich Himmler and other Schutzstaffel (SS) officers landed in Vienna to arrest prominent representatives of the First Republic. During the few weeks between the Anschluss and the plebiscite, authorities rounded up Social Democrats, Communists, other potential political dissenters, and Austrian Jews, imprisoning or sending them to concentration camps. Within a few days of March 12, 70,000 people had been arrested.

Austria remained part of Germany until the end of World War II. On April 27, 1945, a provisional government in Allied-occupied Austria declared the Anschluss "null und nichtig" (null and void). Austria was recognized as a separate country, although it remained divided into occupation zones until 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty restored its sovereignty.

The Austrian population's support for Hitler

Firstly, antisemitism in Austria was widespread and had reached new peaks after World War I. This sentiment was exploited by Nazi propaganda, which targeted Jews as a source of economic and social woes. The persecution of Jews began immediately after the annexation, with state-organized expropriations, assaults, and humiliating rituals initiated by ordinary people.

Secondly, Austria experienced a prolonged period of economic stagnation before the annexation, which likely made Hitler's promises of economic recovery and national glory appealing to many Austrians. The economic crisis also contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party, as people sought alternative solutions to the ineffective democratic government.

Additionally, Hitler's nationalist rhetoric resonated with many Austrians, especially those who felt that the Austrian Corporate state had failed to secure the country's independence. The idea of a Greater Germany appealed to Austrians who desired a stronger, unified nation.

Furthermore, the Austrian Nazi Party played a significant role in generating support for Hitler. Although they were a minority, their active collaboration with the German Nazis and their participation in terrorist activities helped create an environment of fear and instability.

However, it is important to note that the support for Hitler was not unanimous. A significant number of Austrians, especially those from the working class and farming communities, remained undecided or opposed to Nazi rule. Additionally, the Catholic Church played a role in organizing anti-Nazi demonstrations, indicating a segment of the population that resisted Hitler's influence.

In conclusion, the Austrian population's support for Hitler was influenced by a combination of factors, including antisemitism, economic woes, nationalist sentiments, and the appeal of Hitler's charismatic leadership. While a majority welcomed Hitler, there were also Austrians who resisted or remained skeptical of Nazi rule.

The Austrian Social Democratic Party

The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Austria. It was founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAPÖ) and is the oldest extant political party in the country.

History

The SDAPÖ was the strongest party in parliament at the start of World War I. After the war, its leader Karl Renner became chancellor of the First Austrian Republic. The party lost power in 1920 but retained a strong base of support, particularly in Vienna, where it governed the municipality from 1919 to 1934.

During the interwar period, the SDAPÖ supported the idea of a union with Berlin to constitute a great democratic German republic. However, the victors of the war, namely the Allies, forbade this in the Treaty of St. Germain. The party also advocated for socialist reforms, including an eight-hour workday, paid holidays, and the construction of workers' housing.

In the 1930s, the SDAPÖ was banned following the Austrian Civil War and was suppressed throughout Austrofascism and the Nazi period. When the Anschluss took place in 1938, many SDAPÖ members initially welcomed it, and some even became members of the Nazi Party. However, the party was reconstituted as the Socialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) in 1945 and was led by Adolf Schärf.

Recent History

From 1971 to 1983, the SPÖ, under Bruno Kreisky, was the sole governing party. For the following three years, it ruled in coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Then, up until 2000, it was part of a grand coalition with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), with Franz Vranitzky as Chancellor.

In 1991, the party reverted to including "Democratic" in its name, becoming the Social Democratic Party of Austria. During this period, the grand coalition combined with the "Proporz" system, which dictated that important posts throughout the government were shared between members of the two main parties. This evoked rising discontent and contributed to the growing popularity of the FPÖ, which came second to the SPÖ in the 1999 Austrian legislative election.

In the 2004 Austrian presidential election, the SPÖ's Heinz Fischer was elected president, despite his party being in opposition at the time. In the 2019 Austrian legislative election, the SPÖ lost 12 seats and shrank to 21.2% of the vote.

Ideology

The SPÖ is supportive of Austria's membership in the European Union and is a member of the Progressive Alliance and Party of European Socialists. It holds seats in the legislatures of all nine states and is currently the second-largest party in the National Council, with 40 out of 183 seats.

The Austrian Civil War

The conflict began when members of the Republican Protection League fired on Austrian police who were attempting to enter the Social Democrats' party headquarters in Linz to search for weapons. The violence quickly spread to Vienna and other industrial centres in eastern and central Austria. The superior numbers and firepower of the Austrian police and Federal Army quickly suppressed the uprising. The overall death toll is estimated at 350, with around 1,000 members of the Schutzbund killed in Vienna alone, and around 120 police officers killed and 400 more injured across the country.

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 shift towards an authoritarian regime, the Federal State of Austria.

The suspension of Parliament by Dollfuss in March 1933 and the banning of the Communist Party in May 1933 added fuel to the fire. The conservatives, facing pressure from both the left and infiltrating Nazis from Germany, ruled by decree and began suspending civil liberties. The Social Democratic Party and its affiliated trade unions were eventually banned, and their leaders fled to Czechoslovakia.

The Austrian Resistance

One notable resistance group was led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This group sought to re-establish a Habsburg monarchy after the war and played a significant role in providing the Allies with information on the production sites of weapons and aircraft. The intelligence they provided enabled the Allies to conduct precise airstrikes, minimising civilian casualties. The Maier group was also one of the earliest to report the mass murder of Jews, utilising contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.

Another form of resistance came from individuals who provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust. These efforts included hiding individuals, managing or exchanging their property, and aiding their escape from Nazi persecution. These actions carried immense personal risk, as assisting Jews was punishable by imprisonment or death in Nazi concentration camps.

Resistance was also expressed through football, which was the most popular spectator sport in both Austria and Germany at the time. Austrians used football as a way to mask their underlying political disenfranchisement and resist the Nazi regime without doing so openly. The Austrian national team, led by star player Matthias Sindelar, became a symbol of Austrian nationalism and identity, in contrast to the German team's style of play, which was rough and direct. The packed stadium erupted in cheers of "Österreich" during the final game between the two teams before they were combined, demonstrating the power of football as a form of resistance.

Overall, the Austrian Resistance was a diverse and courageous movement, with individuals and groups from various ideological and social backgrounds united in their opposition to Nazi rule.

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