Leslie Massey
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria, annexing the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, saw Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resign and plead with Austrian forces not to resist a German advance into the country. The idea of the Anschluss was not new, having gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, and it was an integral part of the Nazi Heim ins Reich (back home to the realm) concept. After the annexation, Austria was an integral part of the Third Reich, with 10% of the population joining the Nazi Party. During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied Austria, and after the war, Austria was re-established as an independent country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of annexation | 12 March 1938 |
| Annexing country | Nazi Germany |
| Country annexed | Austria |
| Austrian leader at the time | Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg |
| German leader at the time | Adolf Hitler |
| Austrian population's support for annexation | Overwhelming majority |
| Number of Austrian Nazis appointed to the Austrian cabinet | Several |
| Number of Austrian civilians who joined the Nazi Party | 700,000 |
| Number of Austrians drafted by the Wehrmacht | 1.3 million |
| Number of Austrians who never returned home | 242,000 |
| Number of countries that opposed the annexation | 2 (UK, Soviet Union) |
| Number of countries that supported the annexation | 1 (US) |
| Year Austria regained independence | 1955 |
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What You'll Learn
- The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938 was known as the Anschluss
- The unification of Austria and Germany was an integral part of the Nazi Heim ins Reich concept
- Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis in 1934
- The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria in 1945, and the role of liberated slave labourers
- The Austrian resistance, and the majority of Austrians who participated in the Nazi war machine
The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938 was known as the Anschluss
In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg tried to negotiate with Hitler to maintain Austria's independence, but he was coerced into adding Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. Schuschnigg then called for a national referendum on the question of the Anschluss, scheduled for March 13, 1938. However, before the referendum could take place, Schuschnigg resigned on March 11 due to pressure from Hitler.
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria unopposed and were even met with enthusiasm by the Austrian population. Hitler accompanied the troops and appointed a new Nazi government. On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany, and the Anschluss was proclaimed. This act of territorial aggression resulted in public violence against Austria's Jewish population. Austria remained a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II, when the Allies declared the Anschluss void and re-established an independent Austria.
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The unification of Austria and Germany was an integral part of the Nazi Heim ins Reich concept
The unification of Austria and Germany was an integral part of the Nazi "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm" or "back home to the Reich") concept. This concept aimed to incorporate as many Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans living outside of Germany) as possible into a Greater Germany. The idea of a unified Austria and Germany, or Anschluss, first arose after the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. The desire for unification was further fuelled by the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles, which stripped Austria of some of its territories.
After Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, the Nazis embraced the idea of unification as part of their "Heim ins Reich" policy. Hitler, himself an Austrian, had written in Mein Kampf in 1925 about his intention to unite his birth country of Austria with Germany by any means possible, stating that "people of the same blood should be in the same Reich". Nazi Germany provided support to the Austrian National Socialist Party (Austrian Nazi Party) in its efforts to seize power from the Austrofascist Fatherland Front government, which opposed unification. In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on the issue, but before it could be held, German troops marched into Austria on March 12, 1938, unopposed by the Austrian military.
Hitler accompanied the troops and was met by enthusiastic crowds. He appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed. Austria became a federal state of Germany, and many Austrians joined the Nazi Party. The unification of Austria and Germany was a significant step towards Hitler's vision of a "Greater Germany", and it was achieved through a combination of political pressure, coercion, and military force.
The "Heim ins Reich" policy was not limited to Austria, however. It also targeted other areas with significant ethnic German populations, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Sudetenland. Nazi Germany attempted to convince ethnic Germans living in these regions to bring them "home" into Greater Germany. Propaganda was a key tool in this effort, with folksy "letters from the homeland" sent to German immigrants in other countries. The Nazis also sought to Germanize populations that were considered ethnically or racially close enough to Germans, such as the people of Luxembourg.
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Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis in 1934
On July 25, 1934, Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis. Dollfuss was a member of the Christian Social Party and had risen to power in 1932. He had banned the Nazi Party in Austria and was concerned about the rise of German National Socialism under Adolf Hitler. He established a one-party dictatorship under the banner of the Fatherland Front, banning all other Austrian parties, including the Social Democratic Labour Party.
Dollfuss's policies provoked Hitler, who saw unification with Austria as an integral part of the Nazi "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept. In July 1934, a group of Austrian Nazis, including Otto Planetta, Franz Holzweber, Ernst Feike, Franz Leeb, Josef Hackl, Ludwig Maitzen, Erich Wohlraab, and Paul Hudl, entered the Chancellery building and shot him during an attempted coup.
Dollfuss's murder was a sign of Hitler's growing aggression and his desire to impose Anschluss (the unification of Austria and Germany). The assassination was met with international condemnation, and hundreds of thousands of Austrians turned out for Dollfuss's funeral procession in Vienna. Mussolini, who had supported Dollfuss, dispatched troops to the Austrian border, but Hitler decided to stay out of the situation.
Dollfuss's successor, Kurt Schuschnigg, also opposed unification with Germany. However, he was only able to postpone Hitler's plans until 1938, when he was removed from power and German troops marched into Austria to annex the nation for the Third Reich.
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The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria in 1945, and the role of liberated slave labourers
The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria began in April 1945, when Soviet commander Fyodor Tolbukhin's troops crossed into the country. The Soviet Union was one of the four occupying powers in Austria, alongside the UK, the US, and France. This occupation followed the Vienna Offensive and lasted until 1955, when Austria was granted full independence.
The Soviet Union's advance into Austria was accompanied by a directive issued to all soldiers on the front lines on April 4, 1945. This directive emphasized that the Red Army's mission was to liberate Austria, which had been victimized by Nazi Germany, and to annihilate the German Army. It instructed soldiers to respect Austrian civilians, their traditions, families, and private property, while also being merciless towards German enslavers.
During the occupation, the Soviet Union played a significant role in addressing the food crisis in Austria. The country was surviving on meagre rations, with daily calorie intake falling drastically below pre-war levels. The Soviet zone, which included 65% of Austrian agricultural output and nearly all of its oil, was crucial in providing food for the population. From March 1946 to June 1947, 64% of the rations were supplied by the UNRRA.
The Soviet Union also exerted economic influence during its occupation of Austria. It expropriated over 450 formerly German-owned businesses, many of which ended up close to bankruptcy by 1955. Additionally, the Soviets utilized propaganda tools such as radio broadcasts to promote their agenda. They insisted on specific airtime for their programs, including the "Russische Stunde" (Russian Hour), and controlled the news narrative in their zone.
The role of liberated slave labourers in the context of the Soviet Union's occupation of Austria is particularly notable. There were hundreds of thousands of slave labourers among the 5 million Soviet citizens who had been forcibly brought to the Third Reich by the Nazis. Liberated by the Red Army, these former prisoners often took part in looting and attacking civilians. They also joined the ranks of the Soviet Army, seeking vengeance against the Germans. Their aggressive behaviour served as a demonstration of loyalty to the Soviet system, although they were viewed with suspicion by the Stalinist regime due to their previous captivity.
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The Austrian resistance, and the majority of Austrians who participated in the Nazi war machine
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, was met with enthusiasm by many Austrians, with crowds greeting Hitler as he accompanied the troops into Austria. However, there was also a strong resistance movement, with an estimated 100,000 Austrians opposing the Nazi regime and participating in anti-Nazi activities.
The Austrian resistance emerged in response to the rise of fascism in Europe and the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. The symbol and voice of this resistance was Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg, who would have been the Kaiser of Austria if the monarchy had been re-established. Resistance activities included issuing counter-Nazi political leaflets, collecting donations for families of those arrested, and providing the Allies with information. Military resistance was limited, with most resisting by avoiding postings to active war fronts. However, there were acts of sabotage targeting key civil and military installations, particularly in Carinthia, where Carinthian Slovenes formed a nucleus of the resistance.
In addition to armed resistance, many Austrians provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust, risking imprisonment or death. Some hid individuals, managed or exchanged their property to generate funds, or aided their escape from Nazi persecution. Notable individuals who helped Jews escape include Otto von Habsburg, who assisted around 50,000 Austrians, including tens of thousands of Austrian Jews, in fleeing the country at the beginning of World War II.
While a small minority of Austrians actively resisted Nazism, a significant number participated in the Nazi war machine. Approximately 700,000 Austrians, or 10% of the population, joined the Nazi Party. During the war, 800,000 Austrians volunteered for the Wehrmacht, and 150,000 joined the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the Nazi Party. Austrians served loyally as soldiers and were complicit in Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front. Several Austrian gauleiters, including Hugo Jury, Franz Hofer, and Friedrich Rainer, participated in Nazi crimes.
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Frequently asked questions
German troops invaded Austria on March 12, 1938, and annexed the country into the German Reich.
The idea of Anschluss (a united Austria and Germany forming a "Greater Germany") gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The unification was an integral part of the Nazi "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept, which aimed to incorporate as many Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans outside Germany) as possible.
Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg met with Adolf Hitler to reassert his country's independence but was forced to name top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg called for a national vote on the question of Anschluss. Before the vote could take place, he gave in to pressure from Hitler and resigned on March 11. German troops then entered Austria unopposed, and Hitler appointed a new Nazi government.
Austria became an integral part of the Third Reich, with 10% of the population joining the Nazi Party. Austrians served as soldiers for Germany and were complicit in Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front. After World War II, the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void, and Austria was re-established as an independent country.
