Hitler's Intimidation Of Austria: Schussnig's Weakness

In 1938, Hitler bullied Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg into accepting his demands to give the Austrian Nazi Party a free hand. Schuschnigg, who had previously made concessions to Hitler, attempted to reassert Austrian independence by announcing a plebiscite on the matter. However, he was forced to cancel the vote and resign, and German troops invaded Austria on March 12, 1938, encountering no resistance. This event, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany and was widely popular in both Germany and Austria.

Hitler's meeting with Schuschnigg in February 1938

On 12 February 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg met with Adolf Hitler at his Berghof residence in Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. The meeting was called to negotiate the German-Austrian question, but Hitler continuously threatened Schuschnigg with an immediate invasion of German troops, putting Schuschnigg at a disadvantage.

Hitler presented Schuschnigg with a set of demands, including the appointment of Nazi sympathiser Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Minister of the Interior and Security, granting amnesty for imprisoned Nazis, and reversing the ban on the Nazi Party in Austria. Schuschnigg was able to prevent the Nazis from taking over the departments of the army and the ministry of finance. However, he was coerced into signing the agreement, which he had three days to implement.

Upon his return to Vienna, Schuschnigg reorganised his cabinet, bringing in representatives of former political parties, some of which had been banned. He also called for a nationwide plebiscite to demonstrate Austrian resolve against German coercion, believing Hitler would not risk an international incident. The plebiscite was scheduled for 13 March 1938. To ensure the vote went his way, Schuschnigg disenfranchised Austrian voters younger than 25, as a predominant number of them were Nazi enthusiasts.

Hitler responded by ordering his troops to march into Austria on 11 March, the day before the plebiscite was to take place. Schuschnigg was arrested and sent to concentration camps in Germany. The plebiscite was never held, and Austria was annexed by Germany.

Schuschnigg's capitulation to Hitler's demands

On 12 February 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg met with Hitler at his Berghof residence, intending to smooth over worsening relations between their two countries. However, Hitler surprised Schuschnigg with a set of demands that amounted to an ultimatum, effectively demanding the handing over of power to the Austrian Nazis. The terms of the agreement included the appointment of a Nazi sympathiser, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, as minister of security, which controlled the police. Another pro-Nazi, Dr Hans Fischböck, was to be named minister of finance to prepare for economic union between Germany and Austria. Hitler also demanded that a hundred officers be exchanged between the Austrian and German armies, and that all imprisoned Nazis be amnestied and reinstated. In return, Hitler would publicly reaffirm the treaty of 11 July 1936 and Austria's national sovereignty.

Schuschnigg was coerced into signing the agreement, and upon his return, he, President Wilhelm Miklas, and a few key Cabinet members considered three options: first, that the chancellor resign and the president call on a new chancellor to form a cabinet, which would be under no obligation to the commitments of Berchtesgaden; second, that the Berchtesgaden agreement be carried out under a newly appointed chancellor; and third, that the agreement be carried out and the chancellor remain in his post. They decided to go with the third option, and Schuschnigg reorganised his cabinet on a broader basis, including representatives of all former and present political parties.

Hitler then made a speech before the Reichstag, which was broadcast live and, for the first time, relayed by the Austrian radio network. Hitler stated: "The German Reich is no longer willing to tolerate the suppression of ten million Germans across its borders." The speech was met with concern and demonstrations by both pro and anti-Nazi elements in Austria. On the evening of 24 February, the Austrian Federal Diet was called into session, and Schuschnigg referred to the July 1936 agreement with Germany, stating: "Austria will go thus far and no further." He ended his speech with an emotional appeal to Austrian patriotism: "Red-White-Red (the colours of the Austrian flag) until we're dead!"

To resolve the political uncertainty in the country and to convince Hitler and the rest of the world that the people of Austria wished to remain independent of the Third Reich, Schuschnigg, with the full agreement of the president and other political leaders, decided to proclaim a plebiscite to be held on 13 March. However, the plebiscite was controversial due to its wording and the fact that it excluded most Nazi sympathisers in Austria from the polls, as only members of Schuschnigg's party (the Fatherland Front) could vote at any age.

Hitler first insisted that the plebiscite be cancelled, and when Schuschnigg agreed, Hitler demanded his resignation and insisted that Seyss-Inquart be appointed his successor. Under the threat of immediate armed intervention, President Miklas reluctantly endorsed the demand, and Schuschnigg resigned on 11 March. However, this made no difference, as German troops flooded into Austria and were received by enthusiastic crowds.

The Berchtesgaden Agreement

On February 12, 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg met with Adolf Hitler at the latter's residence in Obersalzberg, Berchtesgaden, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries. However, Hitler was ready to take full control of Austria and presented Schuschnigg with a set of demands that would undermine Austrian sovereignty and independence. These demands included coordinating Austria's foreign and military policies with Germany, placing Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart in charge of policing and security matters, and granting amnesty to imprisoned Austrian Nazis.

Hitler used the presence of several German generals to intimidate Schuschnigg, who ultimately gave in and signed what became known as the Berchtesgaden Agreement. The agreement was named after the town where it was signed, Berchtesgaden, a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria.

Following the Berchtesgaden Agreement, Schuschnigg attempted to assert Austrian independence once more by calling a plebiscite (referendum) scheduled for March 13, 1938. However, Hitler was infuriated by this move and issued a series of ultimatums: he demanded that Schuschnigg cancel the plebiscite, resign as chancellor, and appoint Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. Faced with the threat of a German military invasion, Schuschnigg again gave in to Hitler's demands and resigned on March 11, 1938. German troops then crossed the border and were welcomed by enthusiastic Austrians. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany.

Hitler's invasion of Austria

Hitler had long desired to absorb Austria into the Third Reich. In his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, he wrote:

> German-Austria must return to the great German motherland, and not because of economic considerations of any sort. No, no: even if from the economic point of view this union were unimportant, indeed, if it were harmful, it ought nevertheless to be brought about. Common blood belongs in a common Reich.

However, Kurt Schuschnigg, the Austrian chancellor, strongly opposed this goal and wished for Austria to remain independent. In 1936, he signed an agreement with the German ambassador, agreeing to release imprisoned Nazis in exchange for a promise to respect Austrian sovereignty. But this did not satisfy Hitler, and the Austrian Nazis continued to gain support.

In early 1938, under pressure from pro-unification activists, Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13. Hitler threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On March 11, the day before German soldiers crossed the border, Schuschnigg cancelled the referendum and offered to resign. Hitler demanded that the Austrian president, Wilhelm Miklas, appoint Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a member of the Austrian Nazi Party, as the new chancellor. When Miklas initially refused, Hitler ordered the invasion to commence at dawn on March 12.

The German army encountered no resistance as they crossed the border. Austrians cheered and welcomed the soldiers with Nazi salutes, flags, and flowers. Hitler himself rode in a car across the border, stopping in his birthplace of Braunau am Inn and later in Linz, where he was enthusiastically welcomed. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart, now chancellor, announced the abrogation of the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which prohibited the unification of Austria and Germany, and approved the replacement of the Austrian states with Reichsgaue. Austria was now a province of Germany.

A plebiscite was held on April 10, asking Austrians whether they supported the annexation. It was neither free nor secret, with officials present directly beside the voting booths. The result was a claimed 99.7% approval for the Anschluss.

The Anschluss and its aftermath

The Anschluss, which took place on March 12, 1938, was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich. The idea of a union between Austria and Germany dated back to the 19th century, but it gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The Republic of German-Austria attempted to unite with Germany, but the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which ended World War I, forbade the union and stripped Austria of some of its territories.

In the 1920s, the proposal for a union had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. However, support for unification faded over time. After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their ideology.

In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13. Hitler, however, was determined to invade Austria and demanded that Schuschnigg cancel the referendum, resign, and appoint the Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as his replacement. On March 11, Schuschnigg agreed to cancel the referendum and resign, but President Wilhelm Miklas initially refused to appoint Seyss-Inquart as chancellor. On March 12, under continued pressure from Hitler, Miklas reluctantly appointed Seyss-Inquart, who immediately announced a new cabinet filled with Austrian Nazis.

On the morning of March 12, German troops crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. Hitler himself crossed the border later that day, receiving an enthusiastic welcome in Linz and Vienna. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany. A plebiscite held on April 10, with the ballot not secret and voters subject to threats and coercion, resulted in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss.

The Anschluss was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain. It was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, but it resulted in a wave of public violence against Austria's Jewish population. Austrian and German Nazis quickly carried out the Nazification of Austrian society, with many Austrians participating enthusiastically. Austrians also fought in World War II and took part in the mass murder of Europe's Jews.

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