The Nazis In Austria: A Chilling Reception

On March 11, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, an event known as the Anschluss. The annexation was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of the two countries. The Anschluss was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, with German troops receiving the enthusiastic support of most Austrians as they entered the country on March 12, 1938. This support continued as Austria was incorporated into Germany the following day. In April, a manipulated plebiscite indicated that about 99% of Austrians wanted the union with Germany.

The Anschluss

The annexation of Austria was a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. However, the other European powers did not intervene or punish the Nazis for these violations, allowing Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.

The process of the Anschluss began on March 11, 1938, when Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums, demanding the cancellation of a planned plebiscite on Austrian independence, the resignation of Chancellor Schuschnigg, and the appointment of Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. Faced with the threat of a German military invasion, Schuschnigg conceded to Hitler's demands and resigned.

On March 12, 1938, German troops crossed the Austrian border and were greeted with cheers and flowers. Hitler himself travelled to Linz and then Vienna, where he was warmly welcomed. The next day, on March 13, Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany.

The Austrian population's support for the Nazis

The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, was widely popular in both Germany and Austria. On March 11, 1938, Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums, including the postponement of a plebiscite on Austrian independence and the resignation of Chancellor Schuschnigg. The Anschluss was the Nazi German regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain.

The majority of the Austrian population enthusiastically supported the Nazis. German troops entering Austria in 1938 were greeted with cheers and flowers, and many Austrians participated in the Nazification of their country. In the wake of the Anschluss, Austrians persecuted the country's Jewish population, enacted Nazi policies, and fought in World War II.

The roots of this support can be traced back to the period between World War I and World War II, when most Austrians considered themselves ethnically German. The idea of uniting Austria and Germany was not new, with discussions dating back to the 19th century. However, the peace treaties that ended World War I expressly forbade such a union.

Austrian Nazis gained supporters in 1931-1932 as Hitler's popularity in Germany increased, and this support became more noticeable after Hitler became German chancellor in 1933. The Austrian Nazi Party was weak and divided in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but by 1931, the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognized Hitler as their leader.

The Nazi propaganda and terror campaign in Austria, which began in May 1933, further fueled support for the Nazis among Austrians. The campaign, funded by Germany, aimed to undermine the Dollfuss regime by making it look incompetent. The Austrian Nazis staged disruptive protests, brawled with political opponents and the police, and set off explosives and tear gas bombs in public places and Jewish-owned businesses.

After the Austrian Nazi Party was banned in June 1933, thousands of Austrian Nazis fled to Germany, where they formed a paramilitary unit known as the Austrian Legion. They received military training and became a threatening presence at the Austro-German border.

The failed Nazi coup attempt in July 1934, which resulted in the assassination of Chancellor Dollfuss, did not diminish support for the Nazis among Austrians. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who initially supported Austrian sovereignty, drew closer to Nazi Germany in 1935-1936 and pressured Chancellor Schuschnigg to cooperate with the Germans.

By the winter of 1937-1938, Austria found itself diplomatically isolated and facing an increasingly aggressive Nazi Germany. The international community, including Britain and France, showed little interest in maintaining Austrian independence, and the Berchtesgaden Agreement of February 1938 further undermined Austrian sovereignty.

On March 11, 1938, Hitler issued a series of ultimatums to the Austrian government, demanding the cancellation of the plebiscite, the resignation of Chancellor Schuschnigg, and the appointment of Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. With no external support, Austria gave in to Hitler's demands. German troops entered Austria on March 12, 1938, and were greeted warmly by the Austrian population.

The support for the Nazis among Austrians continued even after the annexation. A plebiscite held on April 10, 1938, recorded a vote of more than 99% in favor of the union with Germany, although it was manipulated and Jews and Roma were not allowed to vote.

The majority of Austrians actively supported the Nazis and participated in the persecution of Jews and other minority groups. Austrians were overrepresented not only in the system of terror against Jews but also on the battlefields, with hundreds of thousands of Austrians fighting as German soldiers during World War II.

However, it is important to note that not all Austrians supported the Nazis. A small but significant resistance movement existed, comprising left-wing groups (mostly communists) and conservative resisters (mainly Christian Socialists and monarchists). Tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons during the war, and about 2,700 were executed. Additionally, some Austrians fought as Allied soldiers against the German army.

The Austrian resistance

There were armed resistance groups, a strong communist resistance group, groups close to the Catholic Church, Habsburg groups, and individual resistance groups in the German Wehrmacht. The most spectacular individual group was the one led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This very successful Catholic resistance group wanted to revive a Habsburg monarchy after the war and passed on plans and production facilities for V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft to the Allies. With the location sketches of the production facilities, the Allied bombers were able to carry out precise air strikes and thus protect residential areas. In contrast to many other German resistance groups, the Maier group informed very early on about the mass murder of Jews through its contacts with the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.

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.

One major league of 200-300 fighters was called the Koralmpartisanen. They attacked infrastructure facilities such as municipal offices and gendarmerie in the districts of Leibnitz and Deutschlandsberg (Styria) and sabotaged militarily important facilities such as bridges and railways.

Most armed resistance was undertaken in Carinthia, where Carinthian Slovenes formed a nucleus to the resistance after targeted deportations and forced Germanisation by the Nazi regime in 1942.

The Soviet occupation of Austria

On 20 April 1945, the Soviets instructed Renner to form a provisional government, which took office a week later. Renner's cabinet declared Austrian independence from Nazi Germany and called for the creation of a democratic state. However, the Western allies suspected the establishment of a puppet state and refused to recognize Renner's government.

Soviet troops engaged in systematic sexual violence against women, beginning in the first days and weeks after the Soviet victory. In July and August, the Soviets brought in four regiments of NKVD troops to "mop up" Vienna and seal the Czechoslovak border. Throughout 1945 and 1946, all levels of Soviet command tried, in vain, to contain desertion and plunder by rank and file. According to Austrian police records for 1946, "men in Soviet uniform", usually drunk, accounted for more than 90% of registered crime.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones: Vorarlberg and North Tyrol were assigned to the French Zone; Salzburg and Upper Austria south of the Danube to the American Zone; East Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria to the British Zone; and Burgenland, Lower Austria, and the Mühlviertel area of Upper Austria, north of the Danube, to the Soviet Zone. Vienna was divided among all four Allies, with the historical center declared an international zone, in which occupation forces changed every month.

The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom jointly decided at the 1943 Moscow Conference that the German annexation of Austria would be considered "null and void". They also agreed that Austria would be treated as the first victim of Nazi aggression and liberated and independent after the war, although they acknowledged Austria's role in Nazi crimes.

The occupation of Austria ended when the Austrian State Treaty came into force on 27 July 1955. Austria was granted full independence on 15 May 1955, and the last occupation troops left on 25 October that year.

The impact of the Nazis on Austria's Jewish population

The Nazis' annexation of Austria in 1938, known as the Anschluss, had a devastating impact on the country's Jewish population. Here is a detailed breakdown of the Nazis' impact on Austria's Jewish community:

Public Violence and Anti-Semitic Laws

The Anschluss resulted in an outburst of public violence against Austrian Jews. They were subjected to humiliation, physical attacks, and forced labour. Jews were forced to clean public toilets and perform humiliating tasks like scrubbing streets with toothbrushes or their bare hands. They were also banned from using public transport.

Aryanization and Plunder of Jewish Property

The Nazis implemented Aryanization, confiscating Jewish-owned properties, businesses, financial assets, and artworks, which were then transferred to non-Jewish owners. This process of Aryanization started immediately after the German annexation of Austria.

Kristallnacht Pogroms

The November 1938 Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogroms were particularly brutal in Austria. Most synagogues in Vienna were destroyed, and Jewish businesses were vandalised and ransacked while the fire departments and public watched.

Isolation, Deportation, and Extermination

The deportation of Austrian Jews to death camps and occupied territories began in 1941. By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in Austria, and deportations continued until March 1945. The Holocaust resulted in the murder of approximately 65,000 Austrian Jews, with some sources putting the figure at 70,000.

Emigration and Exile

The persecution and violence triggered a mass exodus of Austrian Jews. Between 1938 and 1940, approximately 117,000 Jews fled Austria, and by 1939, more than 100,000 Jews had left. Many emigrated to countries that would later be occupied by Nazi Germany, and some were able to escape to neutral countries.

Loss of Civil Rights and Professional Exclusion

Under German racial laws enacted after the Anschluss, Jews were disenfranchised and lost their civil rights. Jewish faculty members were dismissed from the Medical University of Vienna, and all Jewish organisations and newspapers were closed.

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