Hitler's Austria: A Land Transformed

In 1938, when Hitler took over Austria, the country was annexed into Nazi Germany, becoming a province of Germany. This annexation was known as the Anschluss, which in German means joining or connection. The Anschluss was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. The idea of a union between Austria and Germany was not new, as Austrians had long considered themselves ethnically German. The unification of Germany in 1871 had excluded Austria, and many Austrians felt that their country could not survive economically without the lands previously held by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Hitler, himself an Austrian, had expressed his desire for an Austro-German union in his earliest writings and speeches. In his book, Mein Kampf, he wrote, German-Austria must return to the great German motherland...People of the same blood should be in the same Reich. In the years leading up to the annexation, Hitler and the Nazis worked to undermine the Austrian government and cultivate pro-unification tendencies in Austria. They also waged a propaganda and terror campaign, staging disruptive protests and brawls, and setting off explosives in public places and Jewish-owned businesses.

On March 12, 1938, German soldiers in tanks and armoured vehicles crossed the border into Austria, encountering no resistance. The Austrian population largely welcomed the German troops, and the country's parliament formally approved the annexation. The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Austria had descended into chaos and circulated fake reports of rioting and street fights caused by Communists. The next day, Austria's parliament formally approved the annexation, and Austria ceased to exist as a sovereign nation.

Hitler's Early Ambitions

Hitler's ideology was heavily influenced by his experience as a soldier in World War I. He believed that the war offered a solution to the frustration and aimlessness of civilian life and that discipline and comradeship were satisfying. He also saw war as a way to prove the superiority of the Aryan race through force of arms.

Hitler's ambitions were laid out in his autobiography and political treatise, "Mein Kampf," which he wrote while imprisoned in 1923 after his failed Beer Hall Putsch coup attempt. In it, he wrote about his vision for the future relationship between Austria and Germany, stating:

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

Hitler's desire for an Austro-German union was also reflected in the first point of the Nazi Party Platform, which read:

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

Hitler's ambitions were not limited to Austria. He also sought to acquire territories with ethnic German populations, such as Czechoslovakia, and to acquire a vast new empire in Eastern Europe. He recognized that acquiring Lebensraum would require war and began preparing for it as soon as he came to power in 1933.

The Austrian Nazi Party

Austrian Nazis waged a propaganda and terror campaign beginning in May 1933, which was encouraged and funded by Germany. They staged disruptive protests, brawls with political opponents and the police, and set off explosives and tear gas bombs in public places and Jewish-owned businesses. In June 1933, in response to a fatal Nazi bombing, the Dollfuss regime banned the Austrian Nazi Party and its affiliates. The Nazi movement became illegal in Austria, but Austrian Nazis continued to operate illegally within the country, and thousands fled across the border into Germany, where they formed a paramilitary unit known as the Austrian Legion.

Austrian Nazis attempted to overthrow the Austrian government in July 1934, assassinating Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in the process. The coup attempt failed, and the remaining Austrian Nazis continued terrorist attacks against Austrian governmental institutions, causing a death toll of more than 800 between 1934 and 1938. After Dollfuss's death, Kurt von Schuschnigg took over as Austrian chancellor and dictator, continuing many of his predecessor's authoritarian policies.

In February 1938, Hitler met with Schuschnigg and made a series of demands, including that Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart be placed in charge of policing and security matters. Schuschnigg gave in and signed the Berchtesgaden Agreement, but he made a final attempt to assert Austrian independence by calling a plebiscite for March 13, 1938. Hitler was infuriated and threatened to invade Austria, demanding Schuschnigg's resignation. Schuschnigg conceded and resigned on March 11, and German troops crossed the Austrian border on March 12, unopposed by the Austrian military.

Hitler's Mein Kampf

Mein Kampf promoted the key tenets of Nazism: rabid antisemitism, a racist worldview, and an aggressive foreign policy aimed at gaining Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe. Hitler's hatred of Jews and communists is evident throughout the book, and he also raged against the Treaty of Versailles and the reparations that Germany had to pay. He desired to expand German territory in Eastern Europe and expel the Jews, believing they threatened the survival of the German people.

The book did not become an immediate bestseller. The first edition of 10,000 copies sold out, but sales slowed after that. This changed in 1930 when the Nazi Party gained a significant number of seats in the parliamentary elections. Hitler's appointment as German chancellor in 1933 further boosted the book's popularity, and it made the author a multi-millionaire. By the end of 1944, more than 12 million copies had been printed, most of them after 1939.

Mein Kampf was widely available in Austria when Hitler took over, and it played a significant role in shaping the country's political landscape. The book's ideas resonated with many Austrians, particularly those on the political left and center, who supported the idea of unification with Germany. This desire for unification was driven mainly by economic concerns, as Austria had lost much of its imperial land after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.

Hitler himself was Austrian-born, and his goal of unifying all Germans in a Greater Germany included the annexation of Austria. In Mein Kampf, he wrote, "German-Austria must return to the great German motherland...People of the same blood should be in the same REICH." This annexation, known as the Anschluss, occurred on March 12, 1938, when German troops crossed the border and were greeted by cheering Austrians. The Austrian government had ordered the Austrian Bundesheer not to resist, and the country quickly ceased to exist as an independent state.

The Nazis carried out the Nazification of all aspects of Austrian life, and many Austrians participated enthusiastically. They enacted Nazi policies, persecuted the Jewish population, and fought in World War II. Austrians also played a significant role in the Holocaust, with a majority of the bureaucrats who implemented the Final Solution being Austrian.

The Austrian Response

The Anschluss, or the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, was met with a mixed response from Austrians. While many Austrians were supportive of the union, others were opposed to it.

Support for the Anschluss

The Anschluss was widely popular in Austria, with most of the population enthusiastically supporting the Nazis. Many Austrians had wanted a union with Germany ever since the end of World War I, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and Austria was stripped of its imperial land. This left Austria in an economic crisis, and many believed that unification with Germany was the only way to solve this problem.

When German troops entered Austria on March 12, 1938, they were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. Hitler's journey through Austria became a triumphal tour, with 250,000 Austrians gathering in Linz to meet him.

The majority of Austrians also supported the persecution of the country's Jewish population. They enacted Nazi policies and participated in the mass murder of Europe's Jews.

Opposition to the Anschluss

However, not all Austrians were in favour of the Anschluss. A small minority actively participated in the resistance against Nazism. The Austrian historian Helmut Konrad estimates that out of an Austrian population of 6.8 million in 1938, there were around 100,000 Austrian opponents to the regime.

Some Austrians tried to flee the country after the German annexation. Terrified Jews, leftists, and supporters of Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg raced towards the country's borders, hoping to escape before they were closed.

In addition, the Communist Party of Austria (Kommunistische Partei Österreichs, or KPÖ) decidedly spoke against the annexation in the course of the 1920s and 1930s.

The World's Response

The world's response to the Anschluss was largely passive. Other European powers did not punish the Nazis for violating international treaties, and Britain and France accepted the annexation as an inevitable outcome.

Winston Churchill, then a member of Parliament, was one of the few who spoke out against the annexation. In a speech to the British government, he declared:

> The gravity of the event of March 12 cannot be exaggerated. Europe is confronted with a program of aggression... unfolding stage by stage, and there is only one choice open, not only to us but to other countries who are unfortunately concerned—either to submit, like Austria, or to else take effective measures while time remains to ward off the danger and, if it cannot be warded off, to cope with it.

International Reaction

The international response to Hitler's annexation of Austria was muted. In Britain, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain reminded Parliament that the country had no treaty obligations with Austria. However, Winston Churchill, then a member of Parliament, disagreed, declaring:

> The gravity of the event of March 12 cannot be exaggerated. Europe is confronted with a program of aggression...unfolding stage by stage, and there is only one choice open, not only to us but to other countries who are unfortunately concerned—either to submit, like Austria, or to else take effective measures while time remains to ward off the danger and, if it cannot be warded off, to cope with it.

In France, internal political problems once again prevented any military response. Britain, now led by Chamberlain, had already indicated it would pursue a policy of appeasement to preserve the peace. Making matters worse, Austria, proud and defiant in its hour of need, never formally requested any outside assistance.

The other European powers did not punish the Nazis for violating international treaties. Their acceptance of the annexation was a significant act of appeasement. It allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked. The loudest verbal protest was voiced by the government of Mexico.

Hitler's invasion of Austria was the first major step in his desire to create a Greater German Reich that included all ethnic Germans and all the lands and territories that the German Empire had lost after the First World War. Although Austria was predominantly ethnically German and had been part of the Holy Roman Empire until it dissolved in 1806, it had never been part of the German Empire.

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