Hitler's Austrian Invasion: The Fateful Date Revisited

On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria, annexing the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event is known as the Anschluss.

Hitler's annexation of Austria was the first step in his plan to wage aggressive wars against other countries

On March 12, 1938, Hitler annexed Austria into the German Reich. This was known as the Anschluss, which translates to "joining" or "connection" in German. The annexation of Austria was the first step in Hitler's plan to wage aggressive wars against other countries.

Hitler's desire for an Austro-German union was expressed in his earliest writings and speeches. The first point of the Nazi Party Platform (1920) stated:

> We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination.

Hitler's autobiography and political treatise, Mein Kampf, also opened with his vision for the future relationship between Austria and Germany. He wrote:

> ..the reunification [of Germany and Austria] is a life task to be carried out by all means! German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland..People of the same blood should be in the same REICH.

Hitler's annexation of Austria was the first step in his plan to create a Greater German Reich that would include all ethnic Germans and the territories that the German Empire had lost after World War I. This plan was part of Hitler's desire to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe, as he considered the postwar international borders unfair and illegitimate.

Hitler's aggressive foreign policy culminated in World War II, which began in Europe in September 1939. The annexation of Austria was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion committed by Nazi Germany. It was followed by the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the return of the Saar region to Germany through a plebiscite.

Hitler's annexation of Austria was met with widespread popularity in both Germany and Austria. However, it also sparked violence against Austria's Jewish population and led to the persecution and imprisonment of political dissenters. The international community did not intervene to stop the annexation or punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties. This lack of action emboldened Hitler to continue his expansionary policies, and he soon turned his attention to Czechoslovakia.

The Anschluss was the Nazi German regime’s first act of territorial aggression and expansion

The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi German regime. It was the fulfilment of a long-held desire to unite Austria and Germany into a Greater Germany.

The idea of the Anschluss was not new. It had been proposed after the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. The proposal gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, and the subsequent Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles, which forbade the unification of Austria and Germany and stripped Austria of some of its territories.

The proposal was particularly popular in the 1920s, with many Austrians believing that their country was not economically viable without the lands previously held by Austria-Hungary. However, support for unification began to wane over time, although it remained a concept in Austrian political discourse.

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept. Hitler had expressed his desire for a union between Austria and Germany in his earliest writings and speeches, and it was the first point of the 1920 Nazi Party Platform.

Hitler planned to achieve power in Austria through the Austrian Nazi Party, but the party was initially weak and ineffective. However, by 1931, the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognised Hitler as their leader, and the party gained supporters as Hitler's popularity in Germany increased.

In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13. However, under pressure from Hitler, Schuschnigg resigned on March 11, and the German Army crossed the border into Austria on March 12, unopposed by the Austrian military. A plebiscite was held on April 10, with the ballot not being secret, and threats and coercion employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss.

The annexation of Austria transformed the country. The Austrian and German Nazis quickly carried out the Nazification of Austrian life, with many Austrians participating enthusiastically. The Anschluss was also followed by an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population.

The Anschluss was a significant breach of the post-World War I international order, and it demonstrated Nazi disdain for the European order. The failure of the international community to intervene or punish the Nazis for violating international treaties allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.

The annexation of Austria violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain

On March 12, 1938, German troops invaded Austria, which was then incorporated into the German Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, was a flagrant breach of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain.

The Treaty of Saint-Germain, signed on September 10, 1919, officially registered the breakup of the Habsburg Empire, recognising the independence of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). The treaty also expressly forbade the union of Austria with Germany without the consent of the Council of the League of Nations.

The Treaty of Versailles, the post-World War I peace agreement, imposed harsh reparations on Germany and its allies. One of its provisions was that Germany acknowledged and would respect Austria's independence, with its frontiers fixed in a treaty between Austria and the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

By annexing Austria, Hitler violated both treaties. The annexation was the first step toward the creation of a German empire in Europe. It was also a huge step in Hitler's rise to power, as it demonstrated his aggressive territorial ambitions and further emboldened him toward future aggression.

Hitler's invasion of Austria was met with no resistance

On March 12, 1938, Hitler and German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event is known as the Anschluss, which means "connection" or "joining" in German.

Hitler's invasion of Austria was the first step in his plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe. He and the Nazis considered the postwar international borders unfair and illegitimate, claiming that Germans had been denied the right of self-determination. The annexation of Austria would help the Nazis achieve their goal of uniting all Germans in a Nazi German empire.

The invasion of Austria was a premeditated and aggressive act, as for years before, the National Socialists in Germany had been cooperating with the National Socialists of Austria with the ultimate goal of incorporating Austria into the German Reich. The Nazis celebrated the Anschluss as the fulfillment of the German people's destiny, glorifying it in speeches and propaganda events.

The invasion of Austria was a turning point for Austria's Jewish population, who were subjected to violence and discriminatory laws

On the 12th of March, 1938, Hitler invaded Austria, annexing the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, was a turning point for Austria's Jewish population, who were now subjected to violence and discriminatory laws.

The invasion was preceded by a conspiracy by Austrian Nazis to seize the Austrian government and unite the nation with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, in an attempt to maintain his country's independence, met with Hitler, who bullied him into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. Schuschnigg eventually resigned on the 11th of March, and Hitler's troops entered Austria the following day.

The invasion was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians, and Hitler was greeted by cheering crowds as he rode into his birthplace, Braunau am Inn. However, the invasion marked the beginning of a wave of violence and discriminatory laws targeting the Jewish population.

Soon after the invasion, there was a wave of street violence against Jewish people and property in Vienna and other cities throughout the so-called Greater German Reich. Jewish homes and shops were plundered, and Jewish men and women were forced to perform humiliating tasks, such as washing away pro-independence slogans painted on the streets of Vienna. The process of Aryanisation began, and Jews were quickly driven out of public life.

Discriminatory laws were also enacted, with the Nuremberg Laws, which excluded Jews from German citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with "Germans or German-related blood", being applied in Austria. Jews were gradually robbed of their freedoms, blocked from most professions, shut out of schools and universities, and forced to wear the Yellow badge from September 1941. They were also required to carry identity cards that indicated their Jewish heritage and had their passports stamped with an identifying letter "J".

The culmination of this wave of violence and discriminatory laws was the Kristallnacht pogrom of 9–10 November 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses, schools, cemeteries, and hospitals were destroyed or set on fire. Over 6,000 Jews were arrested overnight, and most were deported to concentration camps in the following days.

The invasion of Austria and the subsequent discriminatory laws and violence had devastating consequences for the country's Jewish population. Many Jews fled the country, and those who stayed eventually became victims of the Holocaust.

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