Austria: Country Or German Territory?

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with a population of around 9 million people. It is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

Austria has a complex history, with its territory having been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic period. It was annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC and became part of the Holy Roman Empire in the late 13th century.

Over the centuries, Austria's borders have changed numerous times, and it has been part of various political entities. From 1867 to 1918, Austria-Hungary was a dual monarchy consisting of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria. In 1918, after World War I, Austria briefly renamed itself the Republic of German-Austria and attempted to unite with Germany, but this was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1938, Nazi Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, annexed Austria into Germany in what was known as the Anschluss. However, after World War II, Austria regained its independence and declared its neutrality.

Today, Austria is a federal, representative democratic republic with a semi-presidential system. It is a member of the European Union and has a high standard of living, with the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita.

Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, with its capital, Vienna, being the most populous city and state. Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

The annexation was met with enthusiasm by a significant majority of Austrians, who welcomed German troops and Nazi officials into their country. However, this event spelled doom for Austria's Jewish population, who subsequently fell under Nazi control.

The process of annexation began with a coup against the Austrian Fascist government in 1938, staged by Hitler using the Nazi Party of Austria. This was followed by the resignation of the Austrian Chancellor, Kurt Schuschnigg, and the invitation of the German Army to cross the border. On March 12, 1938, the annexation was officially declared, and Hitler announced the reunification of his home country with the rest of the German Reich in Vienna's Heldenplatz.

A referendum was held in April 1938, confirming the union with Germany. This referendum, however, excluded Jews, Roma, and Sinti from voting. The official result showed a 99.5% turnout, with 98.9% voting "yes." While there was genuine support for Hitler and the unification, certain parts of Austria, particularly Vienna, which had the largest Jewish population, did not welcome the German soldiers with enthusiasm.

The annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938 had significant consequences, including the persecution of Jews and the eventual murder of thousands of Austrian Jews during the Holocaust.

Austria was part of the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866

The Confederation was a strong alliance between its member states because federal law was superior to state law, and it was established for eternity and was impossible to dissolve. However, it was weakened by its very structure and member states, partly because the most important decisions in the Federal Convention required unanimity, and the purpose of the Confederation was limited to security matters. The functioning of the Confederation depended on the cooperation of the two most populous member states, Austria and Prussia, which were often in opposition.

The German Confederation was dissolved after the victory of the Kingdom of Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War over the Austrian Empire in 1866. The dispute over which had the inherent right to rule German lands ended in favour of Prussia, leading to the creation of the North German Confederation under Prussian leadership in 1867.

Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria in 976

In the 6th century, the Duchy of Bavaria was established by the Germanic Franks, who ruled over the region until 843. During this time, the Duchy of Bavaria included what would later become Austria. In 976, Bavaria was divided into multiple prefectures, one of which was Austria.

In the early 11th century, the Duchy of Bavaria was separated from the Kingdom of Germany and became a sovereign state. In 1156, Austria was elevated to the status of a duchy, and in 1453, it was made an archduchy.

Over the centuries, the relationship between Austria and Germany has fluctuated between union and separation. From 1815 to 1866, Austria led the German Confederation, which included various German-speaking states. However, in 1866, Austria was defeated by Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War, leading to its separation from Germany and the dissolution of the German Confederation.

In 1918, after World War I, Austria briefly renamed itself the Republic of German-Austria and attempted to unite with Germany. This was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, which aimed to prevent the creation of a dominant German state. Despite this, in 1938, Nazi Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, annexed Austria into Germany.

After World War II, Austria regained its independence and declared its neutrality, solidifying its status as a separate country from Germany.

Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was headed by the Holy Roman Emperor and developed in Central Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It lasted for almost a thousand years until its dissolution in 1806. The Empire was made up of numerous independent states, with each state pledging common allegiance to a monarch elected by the most senior of his peers and formally anointed by the Pope.

The first Holy Roman Emperor was Charlemagne, crowned by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800. The title lapsed in 924 but was revived in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor by Pope John XII.

The Holy Roman Empire was neither a centralized state nor a nation-state. Instead, it was divided into dozens, and eventually hundreds, of individual entities governed by kings, dukes, counts, bishops, abbots, and other rulers. The most powerful lords of the later empire were the Austrian Habsburgs, who ruled 240,000 square kilometres of land within the Empire in the first half of the 17th century.

The Holy Roman Empire came to an end during the Napoleonic Wars in the 1790s and 1800s. In 1804, Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor, proclaimed the Austrian Empire, unifying all Habsburg possessions under one central government. The Austrian Empire remained part of the Holy Roman Empire until the latter's dissolution in 1806.

The Austrian Empire was officially known as the Empire of Austria and was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. It was the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire and was considered a separate realm.

The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved on 6 August 1806, when the last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, abdicated following a military defeat by the French under Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The abdication ended the tie that bound Francis to the body politic of the German Reich, and he declared that he was relieved of all the duties he had assumed towards the German Reich.

Austria and Germany have close relations due to shared history

Austria and Germany have close relations due to their shared history, language, and culture. German is the official language of both countries, and both nations have a centuries-long shared history.

The Germanic Baiuvarii (ancient German Bavarians) are the ancestors of Austrians. In early history, the Baiuvarii established the Duchy of Bavaria, which was ruled by Francia of West Germanic Franks from 555 to 843. The March of Pannonia, part of this duchy, would later become Austria around 970. From 843 to 962, Bavarian Austria was under the rule of East Francia (the Kingdom of Germany). Austria then separated from the Duchy of Bavaria and became a sovereign state in 1156.

From 1156 to 1806, Austria (excluding its non-German territories) and other German states were part of the Holy Roman Empire, which was officially a German polity from 1512 and mostly led by Austria. The Holy Roman Emperors during this period came from the House of Habsburg, which became the ruling family of the Empire in 1440 and remained so until its dissolution in 1806. From 1815 to 1866, Austria was part of the German Confederation and led it.

During the Napoleonic Wars in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Austria and Prussia were allies against the French Empire. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, Austria created the German Confederation as a new organisation among the German states, which Prussia joined. This period saw the rise of Pan-Germanism, the ideology advocating for a unified Germany.

In the 1860s, Austria and Prussia had competing proposals for unifying the German states. Austria proposed a union centred on and dominated by the Habsburgs, while Prussia wanted to exclude Austria and become the central force in unification. This diplomatic tension led to the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, which Prussia won with the support of Italy. As a result, the Austrian Empire was dissolved into the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, and Prussia formed the North German Confederation, excluding Austria-Hungary.

After Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, it established the German Empire, again excluding Austria-Hungary. Despite this rivalry, Austria-Hungary and the German Empire maintained a military alliance and cooperated in annexing Polish and Danish territories. In the 1910s, Austria-Hungary's ambition to turn Serbia into its protectorate led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which sparked World War I.

After World War I, both empires fell, and Austria briefly renamed itself the Republic of German-Austria, seeking union with Germany. However, this was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye created by the victors of the war. During the interwar period, Austria and Germany remained separate entities. In 1938, Nazi Germany, led by Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, annexed Austria into Germany in what became known as the Anschluss.

Following World War II, Austria claimed independence from Germany in 1945 and developed a separate national identity. Since then, there have been no serious efforts to unite the two countries, and the Austrian State Treaty forbids such a union. Both nations have continued to cooperate closely in various fields, including economics, politics, and culture. They are members of the European Union, share a common currency, and have a free border.

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