A Nation's Takeover: First-Hand Account Of Nazi Austria

On March 12, 1938, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, marking the beginning of Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss. This event was the culmination of several years of Nazi efforts to seize control of the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. The process began in July 1934 when Austrian and German Nazis attempted a coup by assassinating Austria's Chancellor and seizing control of the state radio station in Vienna. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the coup attempt failed. In the following years, Austrian Nazis conspired again to take over the government, and in 1938, Hitler pressured Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to resign and appoint members of the Austrian Nazi Party to his cabinet. The annexation was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians, who saw it as an opportunity for economic improvement and an end to the Jewish Question, resulting in widespread antisemitic violence.

The 1934 coup attempt

On July 25, 1934, Austrian and German Nazis attempted a coup to overthrow the Austrian government. This event is known as the July Putsch. The coup attempt was ordered by Hitler and planned by the Hitler-appointed leader of the Austrian Nazi movement, Theodor Habicht, alongside Austrian Nazis.

On the day of the coup, 154 Schutzstaffel (SS) men, disguised as Bundesheer soldiers and policemen, pushed into the Austrian chancellery, where the cabinet was meeting. The conspirators shot and killed Chancellor Dollfuss. Other plotters seized control of the state radio station in Vienna and announced the coup, calling for Nazis across Austria to begin an uprising. Outside Vienna, other Austrian Nazis also revolted against the government.

However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the coup attempt was ultimately defeated by the Austrian military and police forces. Chancellor Dollfuss was killed, but the rest of the Austrian government escaped. The coup resulted in the deaths of 223 people, including 11 civilians, and an estimated 500-600 injuries. Dozens of rebels were sentenced to death, and 13 were executed.

Following the failed coup, Hitler denied involvement and closed down the Munich office of the Austrian Nazi Party. The Austrian government, now under new Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, arrested thousands of Austrian Nazis, including some of the conspirators. Austro-German relations became a source of international concern, and Mussolini sent troops to the Austro-Italian border to defend Austrian sovereignty.

Hitler's involvement

Hitler's popularity in Germany increased his support among Austrian Nazis, particularly after he became German Chancellor in 1933. In July 1934, a pro-Nazi group attempted to overthrow the Austrian government with Hitler's approval and assistance from German officials. The coup failed, and Hitler publicly denied any intention to interfere in Austria's affairs. However, in February 1938, Hitler invited Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to Germany and forced him to agree to give Austrian Nazis more power. When Schuschnigg called for a national plebiscite to decide on Austria's independence, Hitler decided to invade immediately to prevent the vote. Hitler ordered the invasion to begin on March 12, 1938, and he accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds. On March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany.

The annexation of Austria was the first act of territorial expansion by Nazi Germany, and it violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. The international community's acceptance of the Anschluss allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked. After the annexation, Hitler's Austrian and German armies were fully integrated, and many Austrians participated in the Nazification of the country, including the persecution of its Jewish population.

The Anschluss

In July 1934, Austrian and German Nazis attempted a coup by assassinating Austria's Chancellor, Dollfuss. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the Austrian military and police forces quickly defeated the conspirators. Hitler denied involvement and claimed that this had been a rogue plan carried out by the Austrian Nazi movement.

In the aftermath of the failed coup, Kurt von Schuschnigg took over as Austrian chancellor and dictator. He continued his predecessor's authoritarian policies and arrested thousands of Austrian Nazis, including some conspirators. In 1938, Hitler invited Schuschnigg to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg later announced a plebiscite on the question of the Anschluss, but he was bullied into cancelling it and resigning. On March 11, 1938, he gave a resignation address, pleading with Austrian forces not to resist a German "advance" into the country.

On March 12, 1938, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The invasion without shots fired was dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War"). The next day, on March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II.

The annexation of Austria was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians, who hoped for improved material conditions and an end to the "Jewish Question". Austrian civil servants, soldiers, and police officers took a new oath to Adolf Hitler in public celebrations, and various organizations and institutions adopted Nazi ideas and policies.

The role of Austrian Nazis

The Austrian Nazi Party was initially weak, divided, and ineffective in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with internal disagreements over their relationship with Hitler and the German Nazi Party. However, by 1931, the majority of Austrian Nazis recognised Hitler as their leader, and the party began to gain supporters as Hitler's popularity in Germany increased. Despite this, the Austrian Nazi Party struggled to gain more than 25% of the votes in local elections, except in Zwettl and Innsbruck, where they received over 40%.

Austrian Nazis attempted a coup in July 1934, taking control of the Austrian chancellery and killing Chancellor Dollfuss. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the coup was defeated. Hitler denied involvement, and the fallout made it clear that the Nazis would need to take a slower approach to gain control of Austria.

In February 1938, Hitler forced Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg later announced a plebiscite on the issue of Austrian independence, which angered Hitler, who sent an ultimatum demanding he hand over power to the Austrian Nazis or face an invasion. Schuschnigg resigned, and on March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria, receiving enthusiastic support from most Austrians. The annexation of Austria was proclaimed the next day, and the country quickly became Nazified, with Austrians participating in the persecution of Jews and the implementation of Nazi policies.

International response

The Anschluss, the Nazi annexation of Austria, was the first act of territorial expansion committed by Nazi Germany. By annexing Austria, the Nazis violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. This demonstrated Nazi disdain for the post-World War I European order.

The Anschluss was a significant act of appeasement by the other European powers, who did not punish the Nazis for violating international treaties. The international community showed little interest in maintaining Austrian independence, and by the winter of 1937-1938, Austria found itself diplomatically isolated and facing an increasingly aggressive Nazi Germany. Both France and Britain had accepted an Austro-German union as inevitable.

Hitler's speech at the Reichstag in May 1935, in which he declared that Germany had no intention of interfering in Austrian affairs or annexing Austria, may have contributed to this sense of inevitability.

On 11 March 1938, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna issued an appeal for a "free and independent Austria". The international response to the Anschluss was publicly moderate. The next day, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria, greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The "invasion" without shots fired was dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War").

The Vatican condemned Nazism in its newspaper, forbade Catholics from following Nazi ideas or supporting the Anschluss, and did not approve of an earlier statement by German bishops.

On 18 March 1938, the German government communicated to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations about the inclusion of Austria. The following day, in Geneva, the Mexican Delegate to the International Office of Labor, Isidro Fabela, voiced a strong protest against the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.

In the aftermath of the Anschluss, Austria's bishops endorsed the union, and prominent Austrians like Cardinal Theodor Innitzer and the Social Democrat Karl Renner promoted its approval.

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