Austria's Axis Power Status: A Historical Perspective

Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the overwhelming support of the Austrian population. Thereafter, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, and Austrians served loyally as soldiers, committing atrocities on the Eastern Front.

Austria was thus a part of the Axis powers, which originated in a series of agreements between Germany and Italy, followed by the proclamation of an axis binding Rome and Berlin in October 1936. The Axis powers, initially called the Rome-Berlin Axis, were a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan. The Axis were united in their far-right positions and general opposition to the Allies.

Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938

In the 1920s, the proposal for unification was supported by many Austrian citizens, particularly those on the political left and centre. However, support for unification faded over time. After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, unification became associated with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their ideology.

Hitler's plan to annex Austria was kickstarted by the Four Year Plan, which he launched in 1936. This called for a dramatic increase in military spending, with the aim of having the Reich ready to fight a world war by 1940. The plan required huge investments in the steel industry, which was falling behind its production targets. Annexing Austria was seen as a solution to this problem, as Austria was rich in iron and other raw materials.

Hitler began to put his plan into action in early 1938. On March 9, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss once and for all. However, under pressure from Hitler, Schuschnigg resigned on March 11, cancelling the plebiscite and ordering the Austrian Army not to resist the Germans. On March 12, German troops marched into Austria, and were greeted by enthusiastic crowds. The next day, the annexation was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany.

The annexation of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions, and the failure of Britain and France to take action against him. Their lack of will emboldened Hitler towards further aggression, and he soon turned his attention to Czechoslovakia.

The Allies were committed to upholding the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of St. Germain, which specifically prohibited the union of Austria and Germany. However, their reaction to the annexation was only verbal and moderate. The loudest verbal protest came from the government of Mexico.

Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich

Austria's incorporation into the Third Reich can be traced back to the mid-1930s, when Germany, Italy, and Japan pursued campaigns of territorial expansion that alienated most of the world's other major powers. In 1936, Germany and Italy entered into a treaty of friendship, pledging to pursue a common foreign policy. Based on a speech given by Benito Mussolini, the alliance became known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. The following year, Germany's foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Japan's ambassador in Berlin, Count Mushakoji, signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, pledging mutual assistance in combating the threat posed by the Communist International. Italy joined the pact in 1937, and in 1939, Germany and Italy expanded their political alliance into a military one by signing the Pact of Friendship and Alliance, or the Pact of Steel.

In September 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan formalized their alliance through the Tripartite Pact, with the three countries subsequently referred to as the Axis powers. In the pact, Japan recognized "the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe," and Germany and Italy recognized Japan's right to establish a new order "in greater East Asia." The signatories agreed to come to one another's aid in the event of an attack by a nation with which none of them was then at war.

Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany was part of Hitler's prewar expansion, which also included the annexation of the Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia) in 1938. In March 1939, the Germans divided the rest of Czechoslovakia between the German-controlled Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the newly created satellite state of Slovakia.

Austria was the first country Hitler set his sights on

Austria was indeed the first country that Hitler set his sights on. Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. He lived in Austria until he was three years old, when his family moved to Passau, Germany. He later returned to Austria and settled in Leonding in 1894, before moving to Vienna in 1907. In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich, Germany, to avoid being drafted into the Austrian army.

Hitler considered himself ethnically German, rather than Austrian. Both Austria and Germany were dominated by ethnic Germans at the time, but included other nationalities. Hitler's goal was to unite all ethnic Germans under one German state. This idea, known as Anschluss (German for "joining" or "connection"), gained support after World War I, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell and Austria was stripped of its imperial land. Many believed that Austria, now lacking economic viability, should unite with Germany.

Hitler shared this belief. In his autobiography and political manifesto, Mein Kampf, he wrote that the German Reich had a single task: "incorporating the ten million German-Austrians in the Empire and dethroning the Habsburgs, the most miserable dynasty ever ruling." He also stated that he would create a union between his birth country, Austria, and Germany by any means possible.

Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933. In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite their nation with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg learned of the plot and met with Hitler, hoping to reassert his country's independence. However, Hitler bullied Schuschnigg into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet.

On March 9, Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss once and for all. Before the vote could take place, however, Schuschnigg gave in to pressure from Hitler and resigned on March 11. The next day, March 12, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were greeted by enthusiastic crowds. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed.

Austria existed as a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II, when the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void and reestablished an independent Austria.

Austria was an Axis power

Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the overwhelming support of the Austrian population. Even Austrian socialist politician Karl Renner, who was the provisional prime minister of the first post-Nazi government appointed by Joseph Stalin, welcomed the Anschluss. Thereafter, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, 242,000 of whom never came back home. Austrians also served loyally as soldiers from Germany proper and were just as responsible for Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front.

The Axis powers' primary goal was territorial expansion at the expense of their neighbours. In ideological terms, the Axis powers described their goals as breaking the hegemony of the plutocratic Western powers and defending civilisation from communism. The Axis championed a number of variants on fascism, militarism, conservatism and autarky. The creation of territorially contiguous autarkic empires was a common goal of all three major Axis powers.

Austria was, therefore, an Axis power by virtue of its annexation by Germany, one of the three principal members of the Axis.

Austria was treated as a defeated Axis power

Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the overwhelming support of the Austrian population. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, and Austrians served loyally as soldiers, committing atrocities on the Eastern Front. As a result, the Soviet Union considered Austria an Axis power, and the country was divided into four occupation zones, similar to Germany.

However, Austria avoided some of the worst aspects of Germany's fate. It did not lose any territory, and Austrians did not become victims of ethnic cleansing or expulsions. Additionally, the Western Allies opposed the Kremlin's plans to impose burdensome war reparations on Austria.

Overall, while Austria was treated as a defeated Axis power, it received more favourable treatment compared to Germany due to its perceived status as a victim of Germany.

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