Auschwitz And The Austrian Empire: A Historical Perspective

The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. The Austrian Empire was not in existence during World War II when Auschwitz, a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps, was operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland.

The Austrian Empire was a powerful monarchy that existed from 1804 to 1867

The Austrian Empire was created by unifying all Habsburg possessions under one central government. It remained part of the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806. The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire and continued to be governed by its own institutions.

The Austrian Empire was a multinational European great power and played a significant role in opposing Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. After emerging victorious in the war, the Congress of Vienna affirmed the empire as one of the great powers of the 19th century.

Following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary. This marked the end of the Austrian Empire as a separate entity, and the beginning of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

During its existence, the Austrian Empire was led by influential figures such as Francis II, who became Francis I of Austria, and Klemens von Metternich, who served as Foreign Minister and Chancellor of State. The period of 1815-1848 is often referred to as the "Age of Metternich," during which he had a significant influence on European politics and maintained a conservative and anti-revolutionary policy.

The Austrian Empire experienced economic growth and prosperity, with the population of Austria rising to 37.5 million by 1843 and the city of Vienna reaching a population of 400,000. However, the empire also faced challenges, including nationalist revolts and liberal and socialist movements that resisted its longstanding conservatism.

The Holocaust in Austria saw the persecution and murder of Jews by German and Austrian Nazis from 1938 to 1945

The Holocaust in Austria

Austria was incorporated into the Third Reich on March 13, 1938, the day after German troops entered Austrian territory to cheering crowds. A law was published, declaring Austria "one of the lands of the German Empire" under the name "Ostmark". On April 10, an Anschluss referendum was held in Austria, with 99.75% of the population voting in favour.

Persecution and Violence

The persecution of Jews was immediate and violent after the Anschluss. German racial laws were enacted in Austria, and Jews were disenfranchised. They were no longer allowed on public transport, and many were forced to wash sidewalks and public toilets, sometimes with toothbrushes or their bare hands. In one instance, Jews were forced to eat grass at a Viennese amusement park.

Plunder of Jewish Property

There was a massive transfer of homes, businesses, real estate, financial assets, and artworks from Jews to non-Jews. A well-organised machinery of plunder, storage, and resale, involving the Gestapo, moved artworks and other property seized from Jews into the hands of non-Jews.

Emigration

In May 1938, the Nazis allowed the Jewish community in Vienna to resume activities, with the goal of accelerating mass emigration of Jews from Austria. The Palestinian Bureau of the World Zionist Organization was permitted to aid in Jewish emigration. In August 1938, the Central Office for Jewish Emigration was established under the leadership of Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Between 1938 and 1939, 62,958 Jews emigrated, and another 54,451 in 1939. By the outbreak of war in September 1939, as many as 126,445 Jews had departed Austria.

Deportation and Extermination

In October 1939, the deportation of Austrian Jews to Poland began. The deportation of Jews to death camps began in February 1941 and was accelerated after the Wannsee Conference in January 1942. The Viennese community was officially liquidated on November 1, 1942, and the deportations continued until March 1945.

Death Toll

As a result of the Holocaust in Austria, between 60,000 and 65,000 Austrian Jews lost their lives, with fewer than 800 surviving until the liberation of Vienna by Soviet troops on April 13, 1945.

The Austrian exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum tells the story of Austrian victims, resistance, and perpetrators

The Austrian exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland tells the story of Austrian victims, resistance, and perpetrators. The exhibition, located in Block 17 of the former main camp, opened in October 2021, replacing an earlier Austrian exhibition that was displayed from 1978 to 2013.

The exhibition details the involvement of Austrians as both victims and perpetrators of the crimes committed at Auschwitz. It highlights that between 1938 and 1945, when Austria was part of the German Reich, at least 110,000 Austrians fell victim to the Nazi regime. They were murdered because of their Jewish heritage, or for being Roma or Sinti, or because of physical or mental disabilities. Others were persecuted and killed due to their political or religious beliefs, their participation in the Resistance, or for not conforming to social norms. The exhibition also acknowledges the role of Austrians as perpetrators, with a significant number of them playing leading roles in organising and executing the genocide.

The Austrian exhibition is just one of many national exhibitions at the museum, each presenting the story of victims and survivors from their respective countries. Visitors to the Austrian exhibition are required to first take a mandatory guided tour of the memorial site. The site includes the main concentration camp, Auschwitz I, and the remains of the concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The museum was established in 1946 by former Auschwitz prisoners and has since been visited by over 25 million people.

Auschwitz was a network of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany during World War II

Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Germans, and it played a central role in the "Final Solution", the Nazi plan to murder the Jews of Europe. The first camp, Auschwitz I, was established in June 1940 as a quarantine camp for Polish political prisoners. The second camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was established in March 1942, and the third, Auschwitz III-Monowitz, in October 1942. The camps were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945.

The camps were used to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime, provide a supply of forced labourers, and serve as a site to kill targeted groups of people. Over 1.1 million people died at Auschwitz, including nearly one million Jews. Those Jews who were not sent directly to the gas chambers were selected for forced labour. The camps also included large gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau, which were constructed for the mass murder of European Jews.

In addition to the three main camps, there were dozens of subcamps, mainly at various German industrial plants and farms. The subcamps were used to exploit prisoners as slave labourers, and they were established between 1942 and 1944.

The liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet army in January 1945 marked the end of the camp's horrors

The liberation of Auschwitz, a German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, took place on January 27, 1945, by the Soviet Red Army during their Vistula-Oder Offensive. The liberation marked the end of the horrors of the camp, which was part of the Nazis' "Final Solution" to the "Jewish question".

The Soviet soldiers from the 322nd Rifle Division entered the camp at 15:00 on January 27, 1945, and discovered about 7,000 prisoners, most of whom were seriously ill and on the brink of death. The soldiers also found around 600 corpses and the personal belongings of those who had perished, including 370,000 men's suits and 837,000 articles of women's clothing. The liberation of the camp was not a specific goal of the Red Army but rather a consequence of their advance westward across Poland.

Before the liberation, as the Soviet forces approached in mid-January 1945, the SS began evacuating the camp and forcing nearly 60,000 prisoners onto death marches westward. Those who could not continue marching were shot, and thousands perished during these evacuations. The remaining prisoners greeted the Soviet soldiers as authentic liberators, and the soldiers attempted to help the survivors by providing medical care and food.

Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland, was the largest camp established by the Nazis. It consisted of three main camps, including a killing centre, and numerous subcamps. Over 1.3 million people, mostly Jews, were deported to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945, and approximately 1.1 million people were murdered. The camp was a site of mass murder, with large gas chambers and crematoria constructed for the extermination of European Jews. The liberation of Auschwitz brought an end to the horrific crimes committed within its walls and allowed the surviving prisoners to finally find freedom and receive much-needed aid.

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