Who Attacked Austria During World War Ii?

The Anschluss, or the annexation of Austria, was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany. On March 11, 1938, German troops entered Austria and received the support of most Austrians. Austria was incorporated into Germany the next day. This event was the culmination of years of Nazi propaganda, economic stagnation, and political dictatorship in Austria. The annexation was popular in both Germany and Austria, and it was the first step in Hitler's plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe.

Nazi Germany annexes Austria

On March 11, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, an event known as the Anschluss. The annexation was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi regime and was widely popular in both Germany and Austria.

The unification of Austria and Germany had been a long-held goal of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Hitler had expressed his desire for an Austro-German union in his earliest writings and speeches. The first point of the 1920 Nazi Party Platform stated: \"We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination.\"

In the years leading up to the Anschluss, Austria experienced economic stagnation, political dictatorship, and intense Nazi propaganda. Most Austrians welcomed the unification, seeing it as a natural expansion of Germany to its rightful borders. However, the unification violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of the two countries.

The annexation was met with an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population. Jews were forced to clean public toilets, perform humiliating tasks, and scrub the streets while wearing their best clothes. They were also dispossessed of their shops, apartments, and vehicles.

Following the annexation, Austria became an integral part of the Third Reich. About 10% of the Austrian population, or 700,000 people, joined the Nazi Party. The Wehrmacht drafted more than 1.3 million Austrians between 1938 and 1945, and many Austrians served as soldiers and administrators in the Nazi regime.

The Anschluss transformed Austria almost overnight. Austrian and German Nazis carried out the Nazification of all aspects of Austrian life, with the support and participation of many Austrians. The country's Jewish population was subjected to discriminatory laws and violent attacks, and thousands emigrated to escape persecution.

The international community did not intervene to stop the annexation or punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties. This act of appeasement allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked, setting the stage for further aggression and the eventual outbreak of World War II.

Austria becomes part of the Third Reich

Austria's unification with Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, began on March 11, 1938, when Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resigned under pressure from Hitler. On March 12, German troops marched into Austria, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed.

The unification of Austria and Germany had been a long-held goal of the Nazi Party. In his autobiography, Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote of his desire to unite all Germans in a Greater Germany and restore Austrian lands to the German Motherland. The Nazi Party Platform of 1920 also stated that the party demanded "the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany."

The unification of Austria and Germany was opposed by the international community, which worried that a united Germany and Austria would be too powerful. The Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain expressly forbade the unification of the two countries. However, by the mid-1930s, Austria was surrounded by fascist countries, including Germany and Italy, and found it increasingly difficult to withstand the political and economic pressure from its neighbours.

The unification of Austria and Germany was widely popular in both countries. Many Austrians participated enthusiastically in the Nazification of their country, and Austrians made up a disproportionate number of the SS, concentration camp personnel, and concentration camp commanders. However, there was also a small minority of Austrians who actively resisted Nazism, and some Austrians fled the country after the unification.

With the unification, Austria ceased to exist as an independent country and became a province of Nazi Germany, known as the Ostmark. The annexation of Austria was the first act of territorial aggression committed by Nazi Germany and a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.

The Allies declare Austria independent from Nazi Germany

On April 27, 1945, the Allies declared Austria independent from Nazi Germany. This declaration came as a result of the Vienna Offensive and was confirmed by the Berlin Declaration for Germany on June 5, 1945.

This marked a significant turning point for Austria, which had been under Nazi rule since the Anschluss in March 1938. The annexation of Austria was the first act of territorial aggression by Nazi Germany, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany.

During World War II, approximately 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and many others participated in the Nazi administration, including senior Nazi leadership. However, there was also a small minority of Austrians who actively resisted Nazism and paid a heavy price for their opposition.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones, jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. This occupation ended on July 27, 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty came into force, and Austria was granted full independence.

The road to Austrian independence was a complex and protracted process, involving diplomatic negotiations, political realignments, and the resolution of tensions between the occupying powers during the early years of the Cold War.

Austria is divided into four occupation zones

On April 27, 1945, Austria was declared independent from Nazi Germany by the Allies, following the Vienna offensive. This marked the end of the seven-year annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones, each controlled by one of the Allied powers: the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. This division mirrored the four-way occupation of Germany.

The division of Austria into occupation zones was agreed upon by the Allies in July 1945. The borders of these zones were determined by the administrative changes made after the Anschluss, with the western zones reverting to pre-Anschluss boundaries and the Soviet zone maintaining the enlarged Vienna and the re-established Burgenland. The zones were as follows:

• Vorarlberg and North Tyrol were assigned to the French Zone.
• Salzburg and Upper Austria south of the Danube were assigned to the American Zone.
• East Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria were assigned to the British Zone.
• Burgenland, Lower Austria, and the Mühlviertel area of Upper Austria, north of the Danube, were assigned to the Soviet Zone.

Vienna, the capital of Austria, was also subdivided between the four powers, with the central district collectively administered by the Allied Control Council. This collective administration of Vienna was a unique arrangement not replicated in Berlin, where the four powers occupied separate sectors.

The occupation of Austria by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union lasted until 1955, with the last occupation troops departing on October 25, 1955. During this period, Austria's status was a contentious issue in the emerging Cold War, particularly following the Khrushchev Thaw, which improved relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union. Austria's promise of perpetual neutrality helped secure its independence, and the Austrian State Treaty of 1955 formally ended the occupation.

The Soviet Union occupies Austria

The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria was shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was the first victim of Nazi aggression. However, the declaration also stated that Austria would have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi crimes.

In the aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones, with the Western Allies (the United Kingdom, the United States, and France) and the Soviet Union each taking control of a zone. The Soviet Union's zone included the Austrian capital, Vienna, and other eastern parts of the country, including Burgenland, Lower Austria, and the Mühlviertel area of Upper Austria.

The Soviet occupation of Austria was marked by economic exploitation, with the Soviet Union expropriating over 450 formerly German-owned businesses and seizing control of Austrian oil fields. This heavy economic exploitation led to Austria becoming an economic and political liability for the Soviet Union.

During the occupation, the Soviet Union also engaged in political manipulation, attempting to install a communist government under the leadership of exiled Austrian communists. However, the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) failed to gain significant political support, receiving only around 5% of the vote in the 1945 national elections.

The Soviet occupation was also characterised by widespread sexual violence and looting committed by Soviet soldiers. This conduct was partly fueled by anti-German hate propaganda disseminated by the Soviet leadership throughout the war. However, as the Soviet troops entered Austria, the propaganda tone changed, with Soviet propaganda differentiating between ordinary Germans/Austrians and Nazis, and urging soldiers to treat civilians correctly.

The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria ended in 1955 with the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, which granted Austria independence and permanent neutrality. The Soviet Union's decision to withdraw was influenced by a combination of ideological, geo-strategic, and economic factors, as well as a desire to pursue a policy of "peaceful coexistence" with the West.

Frequently asked questions