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Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, an event known as the Anschluss, which means connection or joining in German. This marked a significant turning point in World War II, as Austria became an integral part of the Third Reich, with many Austrians enthusiastically supporting and participating in the Nazi regime. The country's Jewish population suffered greatly, facing persecution, arrest, and deportation to concentration camps. The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria in 1945 brought an end to Nazi rule, and the country was divided into four zones by the Allies. The complex history of Austria during World War II, including the role of Austrian Nazis and the resistance movement, continues to be a subject of debate and reflection.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| German word for "connection" or "joining" | Anschluss |
| German name for Austria | Österreich |
| Date of Anschluss | 11–13 March 1938 |
| Country that annexed Austria | Nazi Germany |
| Nazi Germany's violation of treaties | Treaty of Versailles and Treaty of Saint-Germain |
| Austria's status after Anschluss | Province (Land) of Nazi Germany |
| New name for Austria | Ostmark |
| Date of Austria's declaration of independence from Nazi Germany | 27 April 1945 |
| Date of full independence from joint occupation by Western Allies and Soviet Union | 15 May 1955 |
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What You'll Learn
Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany
The annexation transformed Austria almost overnight, as Austrian and German Nazis rapidly implemented Nazi policies and persecuted the country's Jewish population. Many Austrians actively participated in and supported the Nazification process, with approximately 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party. Austria became a province (Land) of Nazi Germany, initially referred to as the Ostmark, and later as the Alpine and Danubian Districts (Alpen- und Donau-Reichsgaue).
The idea of Austria uniting with Germany had been gaining popularity since the rise of Adolf Hitler in the Weimar Republic. Austrian Nazis conspired to seize control of the Austrian government and unite with Germany, but the Austrian Nazi Party was initially weak and ineffective. Hitler, himself an Austrian, intended to bring about an Austro-German union and began planning territorial expansion soon after taking power.
In March 1938, German troops marched into Austria, accompanied by Hitler, and were met with enthusiastic support from the Austrian population. Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to assert Austrian independence by calling for a plebiscite (referendum) on March 13, 1938, but he was pressured to cancel the vote and resign. The annexation was proclaimed on March 13, and Austria remained a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II.
The Anschluss was a significant act of appeasement by the European powers, who did not punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties. This allowed Hitler to continue his expansionist policies unchecked, leading to further territorial aggression and the outbreak of World War II.
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The Soviet occupation of Austria
The Soviet Union's occupation policy in Austria was largely shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, which stated that Austria was Germany's first victim but would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression. The Soviets aimed to liberate Austria and annihilate the German Army. A directive issued on April 4, 1945, instructed Soviet soldiers to not confuse Austrian civilians with German occupiers, to respect their traditions, families, and private property, and to carry themselves with honor as Red Army warriors.
However, the Red Army's conduct during the occupation was not always in line with these directives. The Battle of Vienna resulted in 17,000 Soviet casualties, and Soviet troops engaged in systematic sexual violence against women in the early days and weeks of the occupation. Repression against civilians harmed the Red Army's reputation, and Moscow issued an order in September 1945 forbidding violent interrogations. Throughout 1945 and 1946, Soviet command struggled to contain desertion and plunder by their troops.
In 1945, the Soviets pressed Renner to surrender Austrian oil fields, but the Americans objected and blocked the deal. The Soviets also brought in NKVD troops to "mop up" Vienna and seal the Czechoslovak border. Despite these actions, the Soviet Union did not create a separate socialist government in its zone as it did in East Germany. Instead, Austria was required to sign the Austrian State Treaty of 1955, pledging total neutrality in the Cold War confrontation between the East and West. On May 15, 1955, after promises of neutrality, Austria gained full independence, and the last occupation troops left on October 25 of that year.
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Austria's role in the Holocaust
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany on March 13, 1938, an event known as the Anschluss, which means "connection" or "joining" in German. This marked a significant turning point for Austria's approximately 200,000 Jews, who faced systematic persecution, plunder, and murder by German and Austrian Nazis during the Holocaust.
Following the Anschluss, Austria was no longer an independent country but a province of Nazi Germany, referred to as the Ostmark. The Nazis worked to erase any traces of a separate Austrian identity, and Austrian Nazis enthusiastically supported the unification. The country underwent rapid Nazification, with Austrians participating in the mass murder of Europe's Jews and fighting in World War II.
Before World War II, Jews played an important cultural and economic role in Austria, particularly in Vienna, the capital. In 1938, Austria had a Jewish population of about 192,000, representing almost 4% of the total population. However, by December 1939, their numbers had decreased to 57,000 due to emigration. The Mauthausen concentration camp, established near Linz in the summer of 1938, became the main Nazi camp in Austria, where inmates were subjected to harsh conditions and forced labor.
During the Holocaust, Austrian Jews were systematically persecuted, plundered, and killed. An estimated 70,000 Austrian Jews were murdered, and 125,000 were forced to flee as refugees. The deportation of Austrian Jews to Poland began in October 1939, and the deportation to death camps started in February 1941. The Viennese Jewish community was officially liquidated on November 1, 1942, and the deportations continued until March 1945. As a result, between 60,000 and 65,000 Austrian Jews lost their lives, with only a small number surviving until the liberation of Vienna by Soviet troops on April 13, 1945.
In the post-war period, Austria sought to portray itself as a victim of Nazi aggression rather than an enthusiastic supporter. The "'victim theory'" claimed that Austria was the first victim of Nazi Germany and denied responsibility for its crimes. However, this narrative has been strongly questioned, and Austria has since publicly acknowledged its role in the Holocaust, establishing institutions to educate about this dark chapter in its history.
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Austria's mixed past and Vergangenheitsbewältigung
Austria's complex history during World War II, characterised by its annexation by Nazi Germany and the subsequent participation of many Austrians in the Nazi war machine, has resulted in a challenging Vergangenheitsbewältigung ("struggle to come to terms with the past").
Austria's Annexation by Nazi Germany
On March 11-13, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria in an event known as the Anschluss, which means "connection" or "joining" in German. This act of territorial expansion violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which prohibited the unification of the two countries. The annexation was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population, with many enthusiastically welcoming Hitler and the Nazi troops. Austria was promptly incorporated into Germany, initially referred to as "Ostmark" (Eastern March), and subjected to rapid Nazification.
Austrian Collaboration with Nazi Germany
Following the Anschluss, Austrians actively collaborated with Nazi Germany in various ways. Approximately 700,000 Austrians, or 10% of the population, joined the Nazi Party. Over 1.3 million Austrians were drafted into the Wehrmacht between 1938 and 1945. Austrians also served in senior Nazi leadership positions and death camp personnel, with the majority of bureaucrats implementing the Final Solution being Austrian. Additionally, Austrians participated in the persecution of the country's Jewish population and the mass murder of Europe's Jews.
Soviet Occupation and the ""Victim Theory"
After World War II, Austria was occupied by the Red Army and Anglo-American troops, and later divided into four occupation zones. The Moscow Declaration of 1943 and the "victim theory" shaped the Soviet occupation policy, portraying Austria as "Germany's first victim." This narrative allowed Austria to avoid some of the harsh consequences faced by Germany, such as a thorough denazification process. The "victim theory" persisted for decades, providing comfort to many Austrians who sought to distance themselves from responsibility for Nazi crimes.
Confronting the Past
It was not until the 1980s that Austrians began to confront their mixed past on a large scale. The catalyst for this Vergangenheitsbewältigung was the Waldheim affair, in which Kurt Waldheim, a candidate in the 1986 Austrian presidential election, was accused of having been a member of the Nazi Party and the Sturmabteilung (SA). This sparked serious discussions about Austria's role during World War II and the Anschluss. The controversy also extended to cultural productions, such as Thomas Bernhard's play Heldenplatz, which generated intense debate even before its premiere.
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Austria's resistance to Nazism
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany on March 11–13, 1938, an event known as the Anschluss, which means "connection" or "joining" in German. This act of territorial expansion by Nazi Germany was supported by the Austrian chancellor, who considered Germans and Austrians to be "brothers", and by a majority of the Austrian population.
However, there was also a strong resistance to Nazism in Austria, with an estimated 100,000 people participating in anti-Nazi activities. The Austrian resistance was launched in response to the rise of fascism across Europe and the annexation of Austria by Germany. The resistance took various forms, including issuing counter-Nazi political leaflets, collecting donations for families of those arrested, providing intelligence to the Allies, and occasional sabotage of civil and military installations. Most armed resistance was undertaken in Carinthia, where Carinthian Slovenes formed a nucleus of the resistance after they were targeted by deportations and forced Germanisation by the Nazi regime in 1942.
In addition to armed resistance, many individuals provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust, risking imprisonment or death. Some of the notable Austrian resistance groups and individuals include the Catholic resistance group led by the priest Heinrich Maier, the Austrian Freedom Movement, the monarchist resistance group "Ostfrei", and Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg, who would have been Kaiser of Austria if the monarchy had been re-established.
After World War II, the Moscow Declaration of 1943 and the "victim theory" influenced the treatment of Austria, with the country emerging as an independent state. While the Nazi Party was banned, Austria did not undergo the same denazification process as Germany, and many Austrians sought comfort in the idea that their country was the first victim of the Nazis.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria was a country of approximately 6.5 million people between World War I and World War II. In March 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, and it became a province of Nazi Germany.
The annexation, known as the Anschluss, marked a terrible turning point for Austria's 200,000 Jews. The Mauthausen concentration camp, established in 1938, became the main Nazi camp in Austria. During its existence, an estimated 100,000 people died, with another 100,000 dying in sub-camps.
The annexation violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. However, the other European powers did not take any action beyond verbal protests, allowing Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.
The Moscow Declaration of 1943 proclaimed that Austria was Germany's first victim but would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression. This declaration meant that Austria would eventually emerge as an independent state, and it shaped the Soviet Union's more limited political violence and occupation of only parts of Austria.
While the majority of Austrians were not Nazis, most supported Germany's wartime policies and enthusiastically welcomed the annexation. During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and many others participated in the Nazi administration and death camp personnel. However, there was also a small but notable Austrian resistance movement, primarily composed of left-wing and conservative groups.
