Austria's Nazi Past: Complicity And Collaboration

Austria was part of Nazi Germany from 13 March 1938 until 27 April 1945, when Allied-occupied Austria declared independence. The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany is known as the Anschluss. The Austrian population was enthusiastic about the unification of the two countries, and the majority welcomed Hitler. However, a small minority of Austrians actively participated in the resistance against Nazism.

The Anschluss: The unification of Austria and Germany

The unification of Austria and Germany, known as the Anschluss, was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich. The idea of a unified Austria and Germany, or a "Greater Germany", was first proposed after the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire.

The unification of Austria and Germany was a complex affair, with a large chunk of the Austrian population welcoming the union, while others opposed it. The unification was also supported by many Austrians who were personally involved in the crimes of the Third Reich. The unification was the first step in Hitler's plan to create a Greater German Reich that would include all ethnic Germans and all the lands and territories that the German Empire had lost after the First World War.

The Road to Unification

The unification of Austria and Germany was a long-held desire of many Austrian citizens, particularly those on the political left and center. The idea gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, which left the new Republic of German-Austria economically crippled and without most of the territories it had ruled for centuries. The unification of Austria and Germany was seen as a way to solve this economic crisis.

However, the unification proposal was not without its opponents. The Austrofascist Fatherland Front, which controlled the Austrian government, opposed unification. Despite this, the unification gained support from Austrian Nazis, who attempted a coup in 1934, assassinating Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss. The coup ultimately failed, and many leading Austrian Nazis fled to Germany, where they continued to push for unification.

In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on unification, to be held on March 13. Hitler, however, had other plans. He threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign, who complied on the evening of March 11.

The Unification

On March 12, 1938, German troops crossed the Austrian border, unopposed by the Austrian military. The unification was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians, who cheered and threw flowers as the German troops marched in. Hitler himself rode in a car across the border at his birthplace, Braunau am Inn, and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in Linz.

On March 13, 1938, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who had been appointed by Hitler, signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany. Austria was now a province of Nazi Germany and was initially referred to as the Ostmark.

The unification was followed by a wave of violence against Austria's Jewish population, with Austrian Nazis beating, attacking, and humiliating Jews. Many Jews were forced to clean public toilets and perform humiliating tasks, such as scrubbing anti-Anschluss slogans from the streets.

Aftermath

The unification of Austria and Germany was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany. It was a significant breach of the post-World War I international order and demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions. The international community's failure to intervene or punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties set a precedent for further aggression, such as the occupation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia later that year.

The unification also had a profound impact on Austria, transforming it almost overnight. Austrian Nazis, with the support of many Austrians, quickly set about Nazifying all aspects of Austrian life. Austrians participated in the persecution of the country's Jewish population, enacted Nazi policies, and fought in World War II. Austrians also played a significant role in the mass murder of Europe's Jews, with many holding positions of power in the Nazi regime.

Austrian support for Nazism

Austrian Nazism, or Austrian National Socialism, was a pan-German movement that took shape in the early 20th century. The German Workers' Party (DAP) was established in Austria in 1903, and the movement gained momentum in subsequent decades. By the 1930s, Austrian politics was marked by infighting and violence, with the Austrian Nazi Party gaining supporters amid rising tensions.

The Austrian Nazi Party was initially weak and divided, but by 1931, the majority of Austrian Nazis recognised Hitler as their leader. The Austrian Nazi Party's military wing, the Austrian SS, was an active terrorist organisation even before the annexation of Austria in 1938.

The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial aggression by Nazi Germany. It was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, with many Austrians enthusiastically supporting the unification of the two countries. Hitler's entry into Vienna in 1938 was met with cheering crowds, and the Austrian Nazi Party, together with members of the SS and SA, occupied public buildings and offices.

The majority of Austrians welcomed Hitler, partly due to the country's poor economic situation at the time, and also because of deep-rooted antisemitism in Austria. Vienna had a Jewish population of around 11%, and the arrival of German soldiers sparked an outbreak of anti-Semitic pogroms. Many Austrians were happy to participate in these events, attacking Jews and taking over their property.

During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and others participated in the Nazi administration, including senior Nazi leadership. Austrians were overrepresented in the SS and the Wehrmacht, and Austrian Nazis were also involved in the Final Solution, with a disproportionate number of Austrians among the bureaucrats who implemented it.

While a small minority of Austrians actively resisted Nazism, the majority supported or participated in the Nazi regime. This has been a subject of debate and reflection in Austria, with the country eventually acknowledging its collective responsibility for the crimes committed during the Nazi occupation.

The Austrian resistance

One of the most notable Austrian resistance groups was led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This group sought to reestablish a Habsburg monarchy after the war and played a large role in providing the Allies with information on the production sites of weapons and aircraft. The intelligence they provided was necessary in enabling the Allies to conduct precise airstrikes, minimizing civilian casualties. 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 these organized resistance groups, 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.

The Soviet occupation of Austria

Austria was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1938, in an event known as the Anschluss. The country was annexed and became a province of Germany, called Ostmark. The annexation was met with enthusiasm by most Austrians, with many Austrians personally involved in the crimes of the Third Reich.

After almost four years of brutal combat, Soviet troops entered Austria in the winter of 1945. The Soviets occupied parts of Austria, including the capital, Vienna, while Anglo-American troops entered from Germany and Italy. Thereafter, France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union divided Austria into four occupation zones.

Soviet occupation policies in Austria were largely shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was the first victim of Nazi aggression, but that it would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi crimes.

Soviet Occupation Policies

The Soviets adhered to the general line that Austria was a victim of Germany and, therefore, avoided some of the harshest aspects of Germany's fate. Austria did not lose any territory, and Austrians were not expelled or rounded up for slave labour.

However, Moscow demanded that the Soviets be entitled to German assets in Austria within their zone of occupation. The Soviets considered any property that had German owners or investors at the end of the war to be German property. This resulted in Austria paying more than five times what Stalin originally demanded.

Political Violence

The scale of political violence experienced by Austrians under Soviet occupation was more limited than in other countries occupied by the Red Army. This was partly because Moscow did not fully control Austria and partly because Austria was not a priority for the Kremlin. By 1955, when the Red Army pulled out of the country, the Soviets had arrested 2,400 Austrians, 1,250 of whom were prosecuted for crimes ranging from war crimes to everyday criminal activity. Some 150 were executed, while others received lengthy prison sentences.

Sexual Violence and Looting

Soviet troops committed widespread sexual violence and looting in Austria. In Vienna alone, the Red Army raped between 70,000 and 100,000 women. However, there is debate among historians as to whether Soviet conduct in Austria was as bad as in Germany, with evidence indicating that it was not.

The wild looting and sexual assaults were crimes committed by individual soldiers, violating standing policies. The army leadership frequently issued orders reminding troops that attacking civilians was impermissible and promising harsh penalties for perpetrators. However, officers often sympathized with their soldiers and led the way in plundering.

Food and Resources

The Soviets, like the other occupying forces, levied the costs of keeping their troops on the Austrian government. In June 1946, 30% of the national budget went towards covering occupation costs. From 1946 to 1955, Austria paid the Soviet Union 36.8 billion Schillings, or two percent of the accumulated GDP.

The Austrian population also suffered from food shortages, with daily calorie rations falling to between 350 and 850 calories in the spring and summer of 1945. Throughout 1946, the average Viennese was consuming 25% less fat and meat and 75% less bread than in 1937. The population was largely dependent on food aid from the Allies, particularly the USA.

The End of Soviet Occupation

The Soviets pulled out of Austria in 1955, along with the Western Allies, in exchange for Austria's promises to remain neutral during the Cold War.

Austrian involvement in the Holocaust

Austria was part of Nazi Germany from 13 March 1938 until 27 April 1945. During this time, Austrians were heavily involved in the Holocaust.

The Holocaust in Austria was the systematic persecution, plunder, and extermination of Jews by German and Austrian Nazis from 1938 to 1945. This was part of the wider Holocaust, and the persecution of Jews was immediate and violent after the German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss.

The majority of the bureaucrats who implemented the Final Solution were Austrian. Austrians represented about 8% of the population of the Third Reich, but about 13% of the SS, about 40% of concentration camp personnel, and as much as 70% of those who headed the concentration camps were Austrian.

The Mauthausen concentration camp was established in the summer of 1938, after the German incorporation of Austria. Mauthausen became the main Nazi camp in Austria. It was built near an abandoned stone quarry, about 12.5 miles southeast of Linz. The Germans designated the camp as a special penal camp with a harsh regime. Thousands of prisoners were worked to death.

During the Kristallnacht pogroms in November 1938, anti-Jewish violence took place throughout Germany and Austria. These pogroms were particularly brutal in Austria. Most synagogues in Vienna were destroyed, and Jewish businesses were vandalised and ransacked.

In addition to the plunder of Jewish property, the Austrian population was complicit in the persecution of Jews. Jews were terrorised, forced to wash sidewalks and public toilets, and in one instance, forced to eat grass in a Viennese amusement park.

As a result of the Holocaust, between 60,000 and 65,000 Austrian Jews lost their lives. Fewer than 800 Jews survived until the liberation of Vienna by Soviet troops in April 1945.

Frequently asked questions