Hitler's Annexation Of Austria: How Was It Possible?

The annexation of Austria into the German Reich, known as the Anschluss, was the culmination of Hitler's desire to create a Greater German Reich that included all ethnic Germans. In his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his country of birth: German-Austria must return to the great German motherland. By 1938, Hitler was ready to take full control of Austria. He demanded that Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg appoint members of Austria's Nazi Party to his cabinet and give full political rights to the party or face an invasion by the German army. Hitler's plan was for Seyss-Inquart to call for German troops to rush to Austria's aid, restoring order and giving the invasion an air of legitimacy. In the face of this threat, Schuschnigg cancelled the plebiscite and resigned. On 12 March 1938, the German army invaded Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. Hitler arrived later that day, visiting his birthplace and his parents' grave. On 15 March, he gave a speech in Vienna and officially declared the Anschluss.

Hitler's demands and threats

Fearing that Hitler intended to take over Austria, Schuschnigg called for a plebiscite, or national vote, to take place on 13 March 1938, so that Austrians could decide for themselves whether they wanted their nation to remain independent or become part of the Third Reich. Hitler, upon hearing this news, decided to invade Austria immediately to prevent the vote from taking place. On 11 March, Schuschnigg cancelled the plebiscite and offered to resign to avoid bloodshed. Hitler then demanded that the Austrian president, Wilhelm Miklas, appoint an Austrian Nazi as the nation's next chancellor. When Miklas initially refused, Hitler ordered the invasion to begin at dawn the next day.

Hitler's actions in annexing Austria were in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. This demonstrated Hitler's disdain for the post-World War I European order and set a precedent for further territorial expansion and aggression.

Austrian chancellor's resignation

On March 11, 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resigned from his position, bowing to pressure from Adolf Hitler. This resignation came after Hitler presented Schuschnigg with a series of demands, including the appointment of Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and granting full political rights to the Austrian Nazi Party. Schuschnigg, fearing a German invasion, initially called for a national plebiscite to allow Austrians to vote on maintaining their nation's independence. However, Hitler was infuriated by this decision and decided to invade Austria immediately to prevent the vote from taking place.

Schuschnigg, aware of the impending invasion, cancelled the plebiscite and offered to resign to avoid bloodshed. Hitler then demanded that the Austrian President, Wilhelm Miklas, appoint an Austrian Nazi as the nation's next chancellor. When Miklas initially refused, Hitler ordered the invasion to commence at dawn on March 12.

Faced with the threat of military action, Miklas eventually gave in and appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart, an Austrian Nazi, as chancellor just after midnight on March 12. This change of power, brought about by external pressure from Nazi Germany, marked a significant step towards the annexation of Austria.

Despite the Austrians' capitulation to Hitler's demands, German troops crossed the border early on the morning of March 12 and were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, flags, and flowers. Hitler himself arrived later that day, visiting his birthplace and his parents' grave. On March 13, Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany. This law, sometimes called the Anschluss law, gave a veneer of legality to the annexation.

The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany and a significant breach of the post-World War I international order. It fulfilled Hitler's desire for a union between Germany and his country of birth, as expressed in his book "Mein Kampf," and was widely popular in both Germany and Austria. However, it also marked a terrible turning point for Austria's Jewish population, who faced public humiliation, violence, and discriminatory laws.

German army invades Austria

On the morning of 12 March 1938, the German army invaded Austria. The invasion was ordered by Hitler, who had been threatening Austria with an invasion since 1933. The German army encountered no resistance, and Hitler arrived later that day.

Hitler's invasion was the culmination of years of political tension between Germany and Austria. Hitler, himself an Austrian, had written in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, about his desire to unite all Germans in a Greater Germany. He wrote:

> "German-Austria must return to the great German motherland, and not because of economic considerations of any sort... Common blood belongs in a common Reich."

Hitler's plans for Austria were part of his wider goal to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe, which he considered unfair and illegitimate. He wanted to unite all Germans in a Nazi German empire and acquire Lebensraum ("living space") in Eastern Europe.

Hitler's interest in annexing Austria was also driven by practical considerations. Austria was rich in raw materials and labour, with magnesium and the products of the iron, textile and machine industries. It had gold and foreign currency reserves, unemployed skilled workers, idle factories, and large potential hydroelectric resources.

In the lead-up to the invasion, Hitler had been applying increasing pressure on the Austrian government, demanding that Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg appoint members of Austria's Nazi Party to his cabinet and give full political rights to the party. Fearing that Hitler intended to take over Austria, Schuschnigg called for a national plebiscite, or vote, to take place on 13 March, so that Austrians could decide for themselves whether they wished their nation to remain independent or become part of the Third Reich. Hitler, upon hearing this, decided to invade immediately to prevent the vote.

On the morning of 12 March, German soldiers in tanks and armoured vehicles crossed the border into Austria, encountering no resistance. Hitler decided to accompany 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. Austria no longer existed as a nation; it was now a province of Germany.

Hitler's Austrian background

Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. He was raised near Linz, the son of a local customs official and his much younger third wife. Hitler's father was illegitimate, and his own biological father is unknown. Hitler's father was harsh and distant, but he had a closer relationship with his mother, whose death from cancer when he was 17 was traumatic for him.

Hitler had a normal education and showed no special talents. He wanted to study art and moved to Vienna after his mother's death, but he was rejected by the Vienna Academy of the Arts. Hitler lived in Vienna from 1908 to 1913, and it was during this time that he first encountered the antisemitism that would come to define his ideology. Vienna had a large Jewish minority (approximately 10% of the population) and was a hotbed of ethnic conflict. Hitler observed the success of the city's popular mayor, Lueger, who was regularly re-elected on a virulently antisemitic programme. Hitler also read widely circulated racist and antisemitic literature that was easily available in the city. However, it is important to note that Hitler also had personal and business relationships with Jews in Vienna, and he was, at times, dependent on Jews for his living.

Hitler moved to Munich, Germany, in 1913 to avoid military service in Austria. He supported himself by selling watercolours and sketches until the outbreak of World War I gave his life direction and a cause to which he could commit himself totally. Although he was an Austrian citizen, Hitler volunteered to serve in the German Army at the start of the war. He served through all four years of the conflict, although he rose only to the rank of corporal. He identified completely with the German cause and was deeply disturbed by Germany's defeat in 1918. Like many disappointed soldiers, he believed that the army had been ""stabbed in the back" by traitors. Although German Jews had loyally supported their country during the war, they were more likely than other Germans to welcome the new democratic republic established after the defeat. This led to accusations that Jews were responsible for Germany's loss.

> 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. As long as the German nation is unable even to band together its own children in one common State, it has no moral right to think of colonization as one of its political aims. Only when the boundaries of the Reich include even the last German, only when it is no longer possible to assure him of daily bread inside them, does there arise, out of the distress of the nation, the moral right to acquire foreign soil and territory.

The Anschluss referendum

The referendum was called for by Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, who was appointed after his predecessor's assassination by Austrian Nazis. Schuschnigg hoped that the referendum would show the international community that Austrians wanted to remain independent. He predicted that the results would be 65% in favour of independence and 35% against. However, the referendum was opposed by Hitler, who wanted to incorporate Austria into the German Reich. Hitler responded to the announcement of the referendum by threatening to invade Austria and demanding that Schuschnigg resign.

On March 11, 1938, Schuschnigg cancelled the referendum and resigned as chancellor. He instructed Austrians and the Austrian military not to resist German troops if they invaded. Hitler then ordered the invasion to commence at dawn on March 12, and German troops crossed the border without facing any resistance. On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Arthur Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany.

On April 10, 1938, Austrians were asked whether they supported the March 13 Anschluss. 99.75% of voters said that they supported Germany's annexation of Austria into the Third Reich. However, the vote was not anonymous, and opponents did not dare to vote against. Historians estimate that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

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