Hitler's Annexation Of Austria: Churchill's Compromise

In 1938, Germany annexed Austria in what became known as the Anschluss. This was a long-held dream of Hitler, who was Austrian-born, and was supported by many Austrians. In the lead-up to the annexation, Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to hold a plebiscite to let Austrians vote on the issue, but Hitler invaded the country before the vote could take place. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain did not intervene, but Winston Churchill, then a member of Parliament, opposed the annexation, 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.

Hitler's annexation of Austria was a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, and it forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. However, in 1938, Hitler annexed Austria, violating the treaty.

Hitler's Intentions for Austria

Hitler had expressed his intentions to annex Austria as early as 1925 in his 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.

Violation of the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles explicitly stated that Germany must recognise and respect Austria's independence. Article 80 of the treaty stated:

> Germany acknowledges and will respect strictly the independence of Austria, within the frontiers which may be fixed in a Treaty between that State and the Principal Allied and Associated Powers; she agrees that this independence shall be inalienable, except with the consent of the Council of the League of Nations.

Hitler's actions in annexing Austria directly contravened this article, and as a result, he was in clear violation of the treaty.

Attempts to Prevent Annexation

Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to prevent annexation by calling for a plebiscite on March 13, 1938, to allow Austrians to vote on maintaining their nation's sovereignty. However, Hitler responded to this news by deciding to invade Austria immediately to prevent the vote from taking place. Von Schuschnigg was forced to cancel the plebiscite and resign to avoid bloodshed.

International Response to Annexation

The international response to Hitler's annexation of Austria was relatively muted. Many countries, including Britain, felt that Austria was not worth fighting for and did not want to risk another world war. Winston Churchill, however, recognised the gravity of the situation and warned that Europe was confronted with a program of aggression. He urged other countries to take effective measures to ward off the danger posed by Hitler's aggression.

Aftermath of Annexation

Hitler's annexation of Austria was a significant step in his plan to create a Greater Germany. Austria ceased to exist as an independent nation and became a province of Germany. This violation of the Treaty of Versailles demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of Britain and France to take decisive action against him. This emboldened Hitler to continue his expansionist policies, leading to the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

The Anschluss was a part of Hitler's desire to create a Greater German Reich

Hitler, an Austrian German by birth, had harboured ambitions to build a German empire or 'Greater Germany' since the publication of his book Mein Kampf in 1925. In it, he described the need for Lebensraum (living space) for the German people – new lands where they could prosper. 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.

Hitler's plans for a Greater German Reich were also informed by his German nationalist ideas, which he picked up at a young age. In 1920, the first point of the 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.

Hitler's annexation of Austria was the first step in his plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe. He considered the postwar international borders unfair and illegitimate, and by annexing Austria, he was able to achieve his goal of uniting all Germans in a Nazi German empire.

The Anschluss was also attractive to Hitler because it gave him access to new resources such as manpower for the military, raw materials, and a large quantity of cash and gold.

The unification of Austria and Germany was supported by many Austrians and Germans

The unification of Austria and Germany, known as the Anschluss, was supported by many Austrians and Germans in the 1920s. The idea of a united Austria and Germany that would form a "Greater Germany" arose after the 1871 unification of Germany 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. The new Republic of German-Austria attempted to form a union with Germany, but the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles forbade both the union and the continued use of the name "German-Austria". The treaties also stripped Austria of some of its territories, such as the Sudetenland, leaving it without most of the territories it had ruled for centuries and amid an economic crisis.

The unification proposal had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. One prominent supporter was Social Democrat leader Otto Bauer, who served as Austria's Foreign Minister after the war. Support for unification with Germany came mainly from the belief that Austria, stripped of its imperial land, was not viable economically. However, popular support for unification faded with time.

After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification could be identified with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of the "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept. Nazi Germany's agents cultivated pro-unification tendencies in Austria and sought to undermine the Austrian government, which was controlled by the Austrofascist Fatherland Front, which opposed unification. During an attempted coup in 1934, Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis. The defeat of the coup prompted many leading Austrian Nazis to go into exile in Germany, where they continued their efforts to unify the two countries.

In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced that there would be a referendum on a possible union with Germany versus maintaining Austria's sovereignty, to be held on March 13. Hitler threatened an invasion and secretly pressured Schuschnigg to resign. A day before the planned referendum, the German Army crossed the border into Austria on March 12, unopposed by the Austrian military. A plebiscite was held on April 10, in which the ballot was not secret, and threats and coercion were employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the population's true opinions are unknown, it has been estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

The British government's response to the annexation was muted

The British government's response to the annexation of Austria was muted. In March 1938, Britain was having its own political problems. Anthony Eden, the Foreign Secretary, had resigned over Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's decision to open negotiations with the Fascist dictator of Italy, Mussolini. With Chamberlain determined to appease Hitler, there was no political will to oppose Germany. The British population was against the idea of another European war. The annexation was not seen as a threat to Britain and, as both nations were German-speaking, there was a sense that there was no good reason why Austria and Germany shouldn't unify.

However, anti-appeasers, such as Winston Churchill, were alarmed by Germany's annexation of Austria. In a speech to the British government, Churchill 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.

Churchill pressed on:

> The hope of producing peace is greater in 1938 than it would be in 1939, and far greater than in 1940. Further hesitation would make war certain at a later date.

But Prime Minister Chamberlain would have none of this:

> ...the plan of the "Grand Alliance," as Winston calls it, had occurred to me long before he mentioned it... . It is a very attractive idea [but] you have only to look at the map to see that nothing that France or we could do could possibly save Czechoslovakia from being overrun by the Germans, if they wanted to do it... I have therefore abandoned any idea of giving guarantees to Czechoslovakia, or the French in connection with her obligations to that country.

Churchill's cousin, Unity Mitford, told him that the only Austrians against union were aristocrats:

> Anschluss with the Reich was the great wish of the entire German population of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, long before the war and long before Hitler was even born, though the English press would make one believe that it was the Führer who invented the idea.

However, from the standpoint of realpolitik, it mattered not what the Austrians wanted. The annexation was a clear violation of the Versailles Treaty. It could have been resisted, and resistance might have precluded much that followed.

Churchill was one of the few British politicians to oppose the annexation

Winston Churchill was one of the few British politicians to oppose the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938. In a speech to the British government, Churchill 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.

Churchill was referring to the German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, which had occurred on March 12, 1938. The Anschluss was the first major step in Hitler's plan to create a Greater German Reich that included all ethnic Germans.

In the lead-up to the Anschluss, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to preserve Austrian independence by scheduling a plebiscite for March 13, 1938, to allow Austrians to vote on whether they wanted to remain independent or become part of Nazi Germany. However, Hitler invaded Austria on March 11, 1938, to prevent the vote from taking place. The German army crossed the border and entered Austria unopposed by the Austrian military.

Churchill argued that most Austrians opposed the Anschluss and that it was a clear violation of the Versailles Treaty. He believed that resistance was possible and necessary. In Parliament, Churchill recognized the implications of the Anschluss for Europe:

> Vienna is the center of all the communications of all the countries which formed the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, and of all the countries lying to the south-east of Europe. A long stretch of the Danube is now in German hands. This mastery of Vienna gives to Nazi Germany military and economic control of the whole of the communications of south-eastern Europe, by road, by river, and by rail.

Churchill wanted to confront Hitler with a union of powers, arguing for collective security:

> What is there ridiculous about collective security? The only thing that is ridiculous about it is that we have not got it.

However, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain disagreed with Churchill's assessment, stating that geography made it impossible to save Czechoslovakia from being overrun by Germany. Chamberlain's focus was on maintaining peace, even if it meant acquiescing to Hitler's demands:

> I have therefore abandoned any idea of giving guarantees to Czechoslovakia, or the French in connection with her obligations to that country.

Churchill's warnings about the dangers of appeasement would prove prescient. The failure of Britain and France to take a stand against the annexation of Austria emboldened Hitler and set the stage for further aggression, including the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939.

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