Hitler's Austrian Opinions: A Historical Perspective

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, but considered himself ethnically German. In his book Mein Kampf, he wrote about his desire to see German-Austria return to the great German motherland. This desire was also reflected in his earliest political speeches and the Nazi Party Platform, which stated: We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany.

Hitler's vision for a union between Germany and Austria was not new. Discussions about Austria's role in a German nation-state dated back to the 19th century. However, the peace treaties that ended World War I expressly forbade such a union, as European leaders worried that a united Germany and Austria would be too powerful. Despite this, Hitler pursued his goal of redrawing the map of post-World War I Europe, and on March 13, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria in an event known as the Anschluss.

Hitler's Austrian origins

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. However, he considered himself ethnically German, and his family moved to the German Empire when he was three years old.

Hitler's early adult years in Vienna, Austria, were marked by a growing fascination with German nationalism. He read countless books on the topic, which helped form his beliefs. He considered himself to be a German living in the Austrian Empire, rather than Austrian.

Hitler's desire to annex Austria (the Anschluss) is evident in his earliest writings and speeches. In his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, he wrote:

> German-Austria must return to the great German motherland, and not because of economic considerations of any sort. No, no: even if from the economic point of view this union were unimportant, indeed, if it were harmful, it ought nevertheless to be brought about. Common blood belongs in a common Reich.

The Anschluss

In the 1920s, the proposal for a union had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. However, popular support for unification began to fade over time. After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany 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, himself an Austrian German by birth, had expressed his desire for an Austro-German union in his earliest writings and speeches. He wrote in Mein Kampf (1925) that he would create a union between his birth country Austria and Germany by any means possible. In 1938, Hitler was ready to take full control of Austria. On February 12, he met with Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg and forced him to agree to demands that undermined Austrian sovereignty and independence.

On March 9, Schuschnigg attempted to assert Austrian independence by calling for a plebiscite (referendum) on Austrian independence, to be held on March 13. Hitler was infuriated and decided to act. On March 11, he gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums: Schuschnigg must call off the plebiscite, resign as chancellor, and appoint the Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. If these demands were not met, Germany would invade.

That evening, Schuschnigg announced his resignation and instructed Austrians and the Austrian military not to resist German troops. Within minutes of his resignation, swastika armbands and flags appeared on the streets, and Austrian Nazis seized power without firing a single shot. On March 12, German troops crossed the border and were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The annexation was formalized on March 13 when Seyss-Inquart, who had been appointed chancellor the previous day, signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law.

A plebiscite on the issue of Austrian unification with Germany was held on April 10, with the ballot not being secret and threats and coercion being employed to manipulate the vote. The result was 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the true opinions of the population are unknown, it has been estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

Hitler's plans for Austria

> German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland…People of the same blood should be in the same REICH.

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

Hitler also planned to achieve power in Austria through the Austrian Nazi Party. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Austrian Nazi Party was weak, divided, and ineffective. It wasn't until 1931 that the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognised Hitler as their leader.

Austria's diplomatic isolation

Secondly, the international community's acceptance of the Berchtesgaden Agreement in February 1938 signalled a lack of commitment to maintaining Austrian independence. The agreement, signed between Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg and Hitler, undermined Austrian sovereignty and independence by requiring Austria to coordinate its foreign and military policies with Germany and appoint a pro-Nazi official, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, to a position of power.

Thirdly, the failure of the Austrian chancellor to form a united front with other European leaders against Hitler's aggression contributed to the country's isolation. Von Schuschnigg's attempt to assert Austrian independence through a plebiscite on March 9, 1938, was met with fury by Hitler, who immediately began planning the invasion.

Finally, the lack of a strong response from other European powers to the failed Nazi coup in July 1934 and the increasing aggression of Nazi Germany towards Austria indicated that Austria would have to face its diplomatic isolation and the threat of Nazi expansionism alone.

Austrian resistance

The Austrian resistance was launched in response to the rise of fascism across Europe, and more specifically, to the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, known as the Anschluss. An estimated 100,000 people participated in this resistance, with thousands subsequently imprisoned or executed for their anti-Nazi activities. The Austrian resistance groups were often ideologically separated and reflected the spectrum of political parties before the war.

The resistance mainly:

• Issued counter-Nazi political leaflets
• Collected donations, which were mostly distributed to families of those arrested
• Provided the Allies with information

Military resistance was limited to occasional sabotage of both key civil and military installations, with most resisting by avoiding postings to the active war fronts. Armed resistance was mainly undertaken in Carinthia, where Carinthian Slovenes formed a nucleus to the resistance after targeted deportations and forced Germanisation by the Nazi regime in 1942.

One notable way in which Austrians resisted the Nazi regime was through football, which was the most popular spectator sport in both Austria and Germany at the time. By creatively using football as a form of protest, disgruntled Austrians were able to mask their underlying political disenfranchisement. The Austrian national team, especially through star player Matthias Sindelar, provided Austrians with a way to resist the Nazi regime without doing so openly.

The Austrian resistance also included numerous individuals who provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust, despite the immense personal risk. These efforts included hiding individuals, managing or exchanging their property to generate funds, and aiding their escape from Nazi persecution.

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