Hitler's Annexation: Austrians' Reactions To German Rule

Hitler's annexation of Austria was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians. On 15 March 1938, 200,000 German Austrians gathered in Vienna's Heldenplatz (Square of Heroes) to hear Hitler declare the union of Austria and Germany. The German army supervised a plebiscite on the annexation, which saw 99.75% of Austrian voters support the union. The reasons for this enthusiasm were complex, but it is clear that many Austrians were relieved that bloodshed had been avoided and hoped for an improvement in their living conditions.

Hitler's triumphal tour of Austria was greeted by cheering crowds of German Austrians

Hitler's journey through Austria was a triumphal tour, and his arrival in Vienna was the climax. The sight of well-equipped German soldiers marching through the country evoked a sense of wartime solidarity and satisfaction that the humiliations of 1918 had been overcome. Most Austrians were aware of Hitler's economic achievements and hoped for a dramatic improvement in their everyday lives.

The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos. They circulated fake reports of rioting 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's annexation of Austria was met with genuine and spontaneous enthusiasm by most Austrians. They were relieved that bloodshed had been avoided, and many were eager to see their Jewish compatriots go. On April 10, more than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany.

A plebiscite on the annexation of Austria was supported by more than 99.75% of Austrian voters

On April 10, 1938, a plebiscite on the annexation of Austria was supported by more than 99.75% of Austrian voters. This was supervised by the German army. Historian Evan Burr Bukey suggests four reasons for the enthusiasm with which most Austrians greeted the loss of their country's independence: first, there can be no doubt that the initial enthusiasm was both genuine and spontaneous; second, it is clear that the populace was profoundly relieved that bloodshed had been avoided; third, nearly all hoped for a dramatic improvement in their everyday lives, as most Austrians were aware of Hitler's economic achievements; and fourth, the sight of well-equipped German soldiers marching through the country revived memories of wartime solidarity and evoked a sense of satisfaction that the humiliations of 1918 had been overcome.

Hitler's journey through Austria became a triumphal tour, with 200,000 German Austrians gathering in Vienna to hear him declare the completion of the annexing of Austria to form a Greater German Reich. 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.

The populace was relieved that bloodshed had been avoided

On April 10, 1938, 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; memories of wartime solidarity; and hope for economic improvement.

German soldiers marching through the country evoked a sense of wartime solidarity

Hitler's journey through Austria became a triumphal tour. On 15 March 1938, around 200,000 German Austrians gathered in Vienna's Heldenplatz (Square of Heroes) to hear Hitler declare that Austria was now part of the German Reich. Hitler's journey through Austria was greeted by cheering crowds eager to see their Jewish compatriots go.

The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos. They circulated fake reports of rioting 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.

On 10 April 1938, more than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany in a plebiscite supervised by the German army. Historian Evan Burr Bukey suggests that the enthusiasm was genuine and spontaneous, and that the populace was relieved that bloodshed had been avoided.

Most Austrians hoped for an improvement in the material conditions of everyday life

Hitler's journey through Austria became a triumphal tour, with 200,000 German Austrians gathering in Vienna's Heldenplatz (Square of Heroes) to hear him speak. The sight of well-equipped German soldiers marching through the country revived memories of wartime solidarity and evoked a sense of satisfaction that the humiliations of 1918 had been overcome.

The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos, circulating fake reports of rioting and street fights caused by Communists. They also printed a phony telegram supposedly from the new Austrian chancellor, saying that German troops were necessary to restore order.

On April 10, 1938, more than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany in a plebiscite supervised by the German army. This initial enthusiasm was both genuine and spontaneous, and the populace was profoundly relieved that bloodshed had been avoided.

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