Hitler's Annexation Of Austria: Prelude To War

On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria, unopposed. The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the first step in Hitler's plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe. The unification of Austria and Germany, or Anschluss, had been a hope for many Austrians since the end of World War I, but it was Hitler's rise to power that made it a reality.

Hitler's foreign policy

Revision of the Treaty of Versailles

Hitler sought to undo the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which included reversing territorial losses and removing military limitations. This desire to revise the treaty was a driving force behind Hitler's foreign policy and was one of his earliest goals.

Unification of German-speaking People

Hitler wanted to unite all German-speaking nations in Europe into one Reich. This included his native homeland, Austria, with which he sought Anschluss (union). Despite the Treaty of Versailles forbidding the unification of Germany and Austria, Hitler was determined to achieve this goal.

In 1938, Hitler pressured the Austrian Chancellor, Kurt Schuschnigg, into signing the German-Austrian agreement, which brought Nazis into the Austrian cabinet. On March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria, and the annexation was proclaimed the following day. This unification was supported by many Austrians, particularly those on the political left and center, who believed that Austria was not economically viable without the imperial land that had been stripped from it.

Expansion Eastwards for Lebensraum

Hitler believed that Germany required Lebensraum in the East, specifically from Russia, to survive. This conviction formed the core of his foreign policy. He recognized that acquiring this living space would require war and began preparing for it as soon as he came to power.

Alliances and Pacts

Persecution and Genocide

Rearmament and Conscription

The Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss

Engelbert Dollfuss was an Austrian politician who served as Chancellor and Dictator of Austria between 1932 and 1934. He was born on 4 October 1892 in the hamlet of Great Maierhof in the commune of St. Gotthard near Texingtal in Lower Austria. He came from a poor, peasant family and was raised by his mother and stepfather. Dollfuss studied law and economics in Vienna and Berlin and became an expert in agrarian matters. He was a member of the conservative and clerically oriented Christian Social Party, whose constituency came from Austria's conservative peasantry.

Dollfuss rose rapidly in Austrian politics, becoming president of the federal railways in 1930 and minister of agriculture in 1931. In May 1932, he was appointed Chancellor of Austria, leading a conservative coalition. He faced a severe economic crisis caused by the Great Depression and decided against joining Germany in a customs union, a course that was advocated by many Austrians. Instead, he drifted towards an increasingly authoritarian regime, banning opposition parties and jailing rivals. He also suppressed the Socialist movement in the Austrian Civil War and banned the Austrian Nazi Party.

Dollfuss's actions were driven by his desire to prevent Austria's incorporation into Nazi Germany and to maintain Austrian independence. He sought to cultivate a sense of nationalism among Austrians, using their Catholic religion as a tool to oppose the Anschluss. He found an ally in Benito Mussolini, who guaranteed Austrian independence in 1933 and with whom he agreed on a pact of trade and military support. However, his efforts to maintain Austrian independence ultimately failed. On 25 July 1934, Dollfuss was assassinated by a group of Austrian Nazis, becoming Hitler's first foreign victim. His successor, Kurt Schuschnigg, assumed office but was only able to postpone the annexation of Austria until 1938.

The German-Austrian Agreement of 1936

The agreement recognised Austria's full sovereignty and independence, with Germany promising non-interference in Austria's internal affairs, including the possible restoration of the Habsburg monarchy. Hitler disavowed the National Socialist movement in Austria, and Austrian Nazi political prisoners were to be released.

However, the agreement also stipulated that Austria's foreign policy would be aligned with Germany's, and it allowed Nazis to hold official posts in Austria. This agreement was an attempt by Schuschnigg to preserve Austrian independence and prevent a German invasion. Unfortunately, it did not satisfy Hitler, and the pro-German Austrian Nazis continued to gain strength.

By 1938, Hitler was demanding that Nazis be given key government posts in Austria, and Schuschnigg was forced to appoint the Nazi member, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, as Minister of the Interior. Hitler continued to pressure Schuschnigg, eventually leading to the annexation of Austria into the German Reich on March 13, 1938, an event known as the Anschluss.

The Berchtesgaden Agreement

In February 1938, Schuschnigg met Hitler at his summer retreat in Berchtesgaden, near the Austrian border. Hitler demanded that Nazis be given key government posts in Austria. Schuschnigg compromised, and the Nazi member Arthur Seyss-Inquart was made Minister of the Interior.

Hitler ordered Austrian Nazis to create chaos in Austria to put pressure on Schuschnigg. If he could claim that Austrian law and order had broken down, he could justify marching German troops into Vienna to restore peace, despite being responsible for the chaos.

On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg announced a referendum that would allow the Austrian people to decide if they wanted to be part of Hitler's Germany. Hitler was furious, as he knew that if the Austrians voted against joining Germany, his excuse for an invasion would be ruined. He ordered his generals to prepare for the invasion of Austria and demanded that Schuschnigg call off the referendum. Knowing he would receive no help from Italy, and that France and Britain would not interfere, Schuschnigg conceded. He called off the referendum and resigned.

Hitler's plan to invade Austria was aided by political turmoil in France and Britain. In March 1938, the entire French government resigned, and in Britain, the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, resigned over Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's decision to open negotiations with the fascist dictator of Italy, Mussolini. As such, with Chamberlain determined to appease Hitler, there was no political will to oppose Germany.

The plebiscite

On 10 April 1938, a plebiscite was held in Austria and Germany to ratify the annexation of Austria into the German Reich. The ballot was not secret, and threats and coercion were used to manipulate the vote. The result was 99.7% approval for the Anschluss, or "joining" of Austria and Germany. However, the true opinions of the population are unknown, and it is estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

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