Austria Before Nazi Germany: A Life Recap

Before the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, life in Austria was marked by political infighting and violence. The country was divided between several major political groups, including the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the Christian Social Party, and the nationalist Great German Union. The Austrian Nazi Party, though initially weak and divided, gained supporters as Hitler's popularity in Germany grew. Austrian politics at the time was also characterized by infighting and violence, with frequent serious acts of violence between armed factions.

Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss transformed the country into a right-wing authoritarian regime, which was diplomatically aligned with Fascist Italy and authoritarian Hungary. This government, known as the Corporate State or Austrofascist state, brutally repressed Austrian Social Democrats and Communists.

The Austrian Nazi Party, encouraged and funded by Germany, waged a propaganda and terror campaign, staging disruptive protests and brawls with political opponents and the police. They also set off explosives and tear gas bombs in public places and Jewish-owned businesses. In response, the Dollfuss regime banned the Austrian Nazi Party in June 1933. However, the Austrian Nazis continued to operate illegally, and thousands fled to Germany, where they formed a paramilitary unit known as the Austrian Legion.

In July 1934, Austrian Nazis attempted a coup, assassinating Dollfuss. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the coup was defeated. Kurt von Schuschnigg took over as chancellor and continued the authoritarian policies of his predecessor.

The Austrian Nazi Party

Origins and Early Years

Growth and Suppression

In the 1920s, the Austrian Nazi Party added the swastika as its symbol and began to gain traction, particularly in the Tyrol region bordering Germany. By 1923, the party had around 23,000 members. However, it also faced internal divisions, splitting into factions led by Riehl and Karl Schulz. Despite this, the party's support continued to grow, and it cooperated closely with the emerging Nazi Party in Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler.

Banning and Revival

In the early 1930s, Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian chancellor, suppressed the Austrian Nazi Party, banning it in 1933. This led many Austrian Nazis to flee to Germany, where they continued to agitate for unification with Austria. Despite the ban, support for the party grew, fuelled by the economic crisis and effective Nazi propaganda. By 1937, the Austrian Nazi Party had become a significant force, and Hitler began to plan for Austria's annexation.

The Road to Annexation

In 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, facing pressure from pro-unification activists, announced a referendum on unification with Germany. Hitler, determined to prevent the vote, threatened an invasion and forced Schuschnigg to resign. On March 12, 1938, German troops crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. The annexation, known as the "Anschluss," was proclaimed the next day, with widespread support from Austrians.

The Role of the Austrian Nazi Party

In conclusion, the Austrian Nazi Party was a driving force in the push for unification with Germany, and its members actively contributed to the Nazi regime's policies and atrocities, both before and after the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany.

The Austrian Resistance

The most spectacular individual group of the Austrian resistance was the one led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This resistance group sought to re-establish a Habsburg monarchy after the war. It played a large role in providing the Allies with information on the production sites of the V-1, V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. The intelligence they provided, later uncovered by the Gestapo, was necessary in enabling the Allies to conduct precise airstrikes, minimizing civilian casualties. The group maintained contact with Allen Dulles, head of the U.S. OSS in Switzerland, and their information contributed to key operations such as Operation Crossbow and Operation Hydra, both of which were precursors to Operation Overlord. The Maier group was also one of the earliest to report the mass murder of Jews, utilizing contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.

In addition to armed resistance, numerous individuals provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust. These efforts included hiding individuals, managing or exchanging their property to generate funds, and aiding their escape from Nazi persecution. These actions carried immense personal risk, as assisting Jews was punishable by imprisonment or death in Nazi concentration camps. Among these individuals were Rosa Stallbaumer and her husband, Anton. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1942, they were sent to Dachau concentration camp. Although Anton survived, Rosa Stallbaumer did not; transferred to Auschwitz, she died there at the age of 44.

Another notable resistance group was the Austrian Freedom Front, a partisan group led by the Communist leader Franz Honner and supported by the USSR. By the end of the war, the Austrian Freedom Front had become the only armed movement in Austria.

The symbol and voice of Austrian resistance was Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg, who, had the monarchy been re-established, would have been Kaiser of Austria. Otto von Habsburg denounced Nazism, stating:

> I absolutely reject [Nazi] Fascism for Austria... This un-Austrian movement promises everything to everyone, but really intends the most ruthless subjugation of the Austrian people... The people of Austria will never tolerate that our beautiful fatherland should become an exploited colony, and that the Austrian should become a man of second category.

He strongly opposed the Anschluss and, following the German annexation of Austria, was sentenced to death by the Nazi regime.

The Anschluss

The idea of unifying Austria and Germany into a "Greater Germany" had been around since the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. Support for the unification grew after World War I, when the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles forbade the union and stripped Austria of some of its territories. Many Austrians believed that their country was not economically viable without its former imperial land.

In the 1920s, the idea of unification was supported by many Austrian citizens of the political left and center, including prominent Social Democrat leader Otto Bauer, who served as Austria's Foreign Minister. However, by the 1930s, the unification idea became associated with the Nazis, who saw it as an integral part of their "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept.

In 1933, when Hitler rose to power in Germany, Austrian Nazis attempted a coup, assassinating Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. The coup failed and many leading Austrian Nazis went into exile in Germany, where they continued to push for unification. In 1936, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, who had taken over from Dollfuss, signed an agreement with Germany, releasing imprisoned Nazis and promising to follow Germany's lead in foreign policy. In return, the Austrian Nazis agreed to cease terrorist attacks against the government. However, this did not satisfy Hitler, and the Austrian Nazis continued to grow in strength.

In early 1938, under pressure from pro-unification activists, Schuschnigg announced a referendum on unification versus maintaining Austrian sovereignty, to be held on March 13. Hitler threatened to invade and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On March 12, the day before the planned referendum, the German army crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military.

On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who had been appointed the previous day, signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany. A plebiscite held on April 10, in which the ballot was not secret and voters were threatened and coerced, resulted in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the true opinions of the population are unknown, it is estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

The Mauthausen concentration camp

The first prisoners arrived at Mauthausen in August 1938, transferred from the Dachau concentration camp. These prisoners, all men and all Germans and Austrians, were forced to build their own camp and set up operations in the quarry. Their daily lives were marked by hunger, arbitrary treatment, and violence.

In December 1939, the SS ordered the construction of a second concentration camp just a few kilometres from Mauthausen. The Gusen branch camp officially went into operation in May 1940. After the outbreak of war, people from across Europe were deported to Mauthausen, which gradually developed into a system of several interconnected camps. Mauthausen and Gusen were the concentration camps with the harshest imprisonment conditions and the highest mortality rates. Prisoners at the bottom of the camp hierarchy had barely any chance of surviving for long. Those who were ill or 'useless' to the SS were in constant danger of their lives.

During the second half of the war, prisoners, who now included women for the first time, were increasingly used as forced labourers in the arms industry. The SS established several subcamps to accommodate the prisoners where they worked. Newly arrived prisoners were transferred to these camps from the main camp. Mauthausen itself became a camp where the sick and weak were sent to die.

On 5 May 1945, the US Army reached Gusen and Mauthausen. Some prisoners were in such a weakened state that many still died in the days and weeks after liberation. Of a total of around 190,000 people imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp and its subcamps over seven years, at least 90,000 died.

The Vienna Offensive

Planning and Objectives:

The Offensive Begins:

On March 16, 1945, the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts initiated the offensive. They had already made advances in western Hungary and crossed the border into Austria. The Romanian troops, who were allied with the Soviets, also participated in the offensive.

Street Fighting in Vienna:

As the Soviets approached Vienna, they encountered fierce resistance from the German defenders, who had prepared defensive positions. The battle for the city involved street-to-street fighting, with some areas seeing intense urban combat while the Soviets advanced into other parts with little opposition. The Germans put up a determined fight, but the Soviets gradually infiltrated the city, engaging in close-quarters combat.

Capture of Vienna:

By April 9, 1945, the Soviets had infiltrated the centre of Vienna, but street fighting continued for several more days. The decisive moment came on April 13 when the Soviets captured the Danube canals and secured the Reichsbrücke Bridge. This cut off central Vienna from the rest of the city, and the remaining German defenders surrendered. Vienna had fallen, and the Soviets achieved a significant victory.

Aftermath and Consequences:

The battle left Vienna devastated, with some of its finest buildings in ruins. Looting and violence ensued, with Soviet troops committing acts of plunder and rape, comparable to the worst aspects of the Thirty Years' War. The political aftermath was significant, as Karl Renner established a Provisional Government in Vienna with Soviet approval, declaring Austria's secession from Nazi Germany.

Frequently asked questions