Austria's Response To German Annexation: A Historical Perspective

The German annexation of Austria in 1938, known as the Anschluss, was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population. More than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany. This support can be explained by four reasons: initial enthusiasm, relief that bloodshed had been avoided, Nazi propaganda, and the fact that figures such as Karl Renner, an Austrian socialist politician, welcomed the union.

The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming Austria had descended into chaos

The Nazis justified the invasion of Austria by claiming that the country had descended into chaos. They circulated fake reports of rioting in Vienna and street fights caused by Communists. German newspapers printed a phony telegram supposedly from the new Austrian chancellor saying that German troops were necessary to restore order. Hitler accompanied his troops to his birthplace at Braunau am Inn on the south bank of Austria’s Inn River and then on to Linz, where he had attended school. There he called for an immediate Anschluss. The next day, Austria’s parliament formally approved the annexation.

The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, took place on March 11-13, 1938. The invasion was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population, with more than 99.75% of Austrian voters supporting a union with Germany. This support can be explained by four reasons: the initial enthusiasm was both genuine and spontaneous; the populace was profoundly relieved that bloodshed had been avoided; the idea that Austria had descended into chaos; and the fact that Austria was Hitler's country of birth.

The Anschluss was an act of open aggression that incorporated Austria into the German Reich. It was followed by a wave of street violence against Jewish persons and property in Vienna and other cities throughout the so-called Greater German Reich during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1938, culminating in the Kristallnacht riots and violence of November 9-10. After the annexation, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10 percent of the population, joining the Nazi Party. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, 242,000 of whom never returned home. Austrians also served loyally as soldiers from Germany proper and were just as responsible for Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front.

Hitler called for an immediate Anschluss

Hitler's call for an immediate Anschluss came as his troops rushed towards Vienna. He decided to accompany them to his birthplace at Braunau am Inn on the south bank of Austria's Inn River and then on to Linz, where he had attended school. The next day, Austria's parliament formally approved the annexation.

The annexation was supported by 99.75% of Austrian voters in a plebiscite held on 10 April 1938 under the supervision of the German army. The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos, and circulated fake reports of rioting in Vienna and street fights caused by Communists. German newspapers printed a phony telegram supposedly from the new Austrian chancellor saying that German troops were necessary to restore order.

The Anschluss was welcomed by many Austrians, including Karl Renner, an Austrian socialist politician who was the provisional prime minister of the first post-Nazi government appointed by Joseph Stalin. Thereafter, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party.

Austria's parliament formally approved the annexation

On March 11-13, 1938, German troops invaded Austria and incorporated the country into the German Reich in what is known as the Anschluss. The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos, citing fake reports of rioting and street fights caused by Communists.

The next day, Austria's parliament formally approved the annexation. More than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany. Historian Evan Burr Bukey suggests four reasons for the enthusiasm with which most Austrians greeted the loss of their country's independence: genuine and spontaneous enthusiasm; relief that bloodshed had been avoided; Nazi propaganda; and the fact that many Austrians were of German descent.

After the annexation, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, 242,000 of whom never returned home. Austrians also served loyally as soldiers from Germany proper and were just as responsible for Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front.

The Austrian population overwhelmingly supported the union

On March 11-13, 1938, German troops invaded Austria and incorporated the country into the German Reich in what is known as the Anschluss. The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos, and circulated fake reports of rioting in Vienna and street fights caused by Communists. German newspapers printed a phony telegram supposedly from the new Austrian chancellor saying that German troops were necessary to restore order.

Austria became an integral part of the Third Reich

Hitler, who was born in Austria, had written in his 1925 book *Mein Kampf* that 'German-Austria must return to the great German motherland'. After returning to Germany, he issued a new call for a plebiscite on the annexation of Austria, which took place on 10 April 1938 under the supervision of the German army. Over 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany.

The annexation was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population. Even Austrian socialist politician Karl Renner, who would later become the provisional prime minister of the first post-Nazi government, welcomed the Anschluss. Around 10% of the population joined the Nazi Party, and more than 1.3 million Austrians were drafted into the Wehrmacht between 1938 and 1945. Austrians served loyally as soldiers and were responsible for Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front.

Frequently asked questions