Ruqayyah Snyder
Following the annexation of Austria in 1938, Hitler and the Nazi regime set their sights on Czechoslovakia, specifically the Sudetenland region. This invasion marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order and was the first step in Nazi Germany's aggressive expansionist agenda, which would eventually lead to World War II. The Sudetenland crisis, manufactured by the Nazis just six months after the annexation of Austria, would be the precursor to further invasions and acts of aggression, including the occupation of Prague and the invasion of Poland, which sparked the global conflict.
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's desire for a union
Hitler, an Austrian German by birth, had harboured German nationalist ideas from a young age. The first point of the Nazi Party Platform (1920) stated: “We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination.” The unification of Germany by Otto von Bismarck in 1871 had explicitly excluded Austria, and Hitler sought to create a Greater German Reich that would include all ethnic Germans and the territories lost by the German Empire after World War I.
Austria was a desirable target for annexation due to its rich resources and labour. It supplied Germany with magnesium and products from the iron, textile, and machine industries. It also had gold and foreign currency reserves, skilled workers, idle factories, and potential hydroelectric resources. The annexation of Austria was also a strategic move to bring Eastern Europe into Göring's desired Grossraumwirtschaft ("greater economic space").
The annexation of Austria was met with international condemnation, particularly from the governments of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America, who regarded it as an act of aggression and a violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain. Despite this, no military confrontation took place, and the annexation was allowed to proceed, enabling Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.
The annexation transformed Austria overnight. Austrian and German Nazis carried out the Nazification of Austrian life, and the country's Jewish population became the target of violence and persecution. The inclusion of Austria in the German Reich was a significant step towards Hitler's goal of creating a Greater Germany, and it set the stage for further territorial aggression and the eventual outbreak of World War II.
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The Anschluss
The idea of unification had been proposed as early as 1919, and it enjoyed strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. Support for unification stemmed from the belief that Austria, stripped of its imperial land, was not economically viable. However, support for unification with Germany faded over time, and after 1933, when Hitler rose to power, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis.
Hitler, an Austrian German by birth, had expressed his desire for an Austro-German union in his earliest writings and speeches. The first point of the Nazi Party Platform (1920) stated: "We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination." By 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria, which was rich in raw materials and labour.
In February 1938, Hitler invited the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg later repudiated the agreement and announced a plebiscite on the question of the Anschluss. However, he was pressured to cancel the plebiscite and resign. On March 11, 1938, German troops entered Austria, and the next day, Hitler accompanied them into the country. On March 13, the Anschluss was officially proclaimed, and Austria ceased to exist as an independent nation.
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Austria's Jewish population
In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, an event known as the Anschluss. This resulted in an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population. Jews with assets worth more than ATS 7,500 ($2,000) were ordered to declare them by the end of June 1938, with the Nazi authorities wanting to loot these assets to contribute to their war preparations. A plebiscite in Austria on April 10, 1938, resulted in over 99% of the eligible population voting in favor of the Nazi German annexation. However, Jews and other "unwanted" citizens were not allowed to vote.
By October 1942, Austria had only about 2,000 to 5,000 Jews left, with the rest having been deported, murdered, or gone into hiding. The total number of the Austrian Jewish population murdered during the Holocaust is about 65,500 people, with 62,000 known by name. Approximately 120,000 Austrian Jews, or 60% of the pre-war population, survived the Holocaust by emigrating or remaining in the country.
After World War II, the Austrian government instituted several restitution programs, but they were widely acknowledged as insufficient to address the country's wartime responsibilities. In the 1990s, the Austrian government began providing social welfare to Austrian victims of the Holocaust and restoring Jewish cemeteries and institutions. The Austrian government also provided compensation to Holocaust survivors, including nursing care payments and benefits under the Austrian pension system.
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German expansion
Hitler's earliest speeches and writings expressed his desire for an Austro-German union, and the first point of the Nazi Party Platform (1920) stated: "We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination." In 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria, which was rich in raw materials and labour, and had large potential hydroelectric resources.
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event is known as the Anschluss, or "annexation". The Austrian population was subjected to intimidation and suppression of the political opposition, and a referendum to ratify the annexation on April 10 returned a result of 99.73% voting yes, although the vote was preceded by a major propaganda campaign. Hitler himself travelled through Austria, culminating in a speech in Vienna on March 15, 1938, to a crowd of 200,000 cheering German Austrians.
Following the annexation of Austria, Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, an act of territorial aggression that started World War II. German expansionism continued throughout the war, with the invasion and occupation of Yugoslavia and Greece in April 1941.
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World War II
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event is known as the Anschluss, which in German means "connection" or "joining". The annexation of Austria was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi German regime and marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.
The idea of uniting Austria and Germany was not new, and 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. Hitler and the Nazis wanted to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe, considering the postwar international borders unfair and illegitimate. They claimed that Germans had been denied the right of self-determination and that redrawing Europe's borders would allow them to achieve their goals of gaining living space and uniting all Germans under one nation.
The annexation of Austria was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, with the Austrian population subjected to extensive intimidation and suppression of the political opposition. The German army had already occupied Austria and integrated it into Germany before the official annexation, and the Austrian Nazis seized power in government buildings and dominated the streets. The annexation resulted in an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population, with Nazi supporters attacking their political opponents and Jews without fear of repercussions.
Just six months after the annexation of Austria, Nazi Germany manufactured a crisis in the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia. In September 1938, world leaders from Italy, France, and Great Britain met with Hitler in Munich to discuss the issue. They appeased Hitler by ceding the region to Nazi Germany on the condition that the rest of Czechoslovakia remained off-limits. However, in March 1939, Nazi Germany broke this agreement and occupied the Czech lands, including Prague. This expansionist policy continued, and in September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an act of territorial aggression that started World War II.
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Frequently asked questions
Germany invaded Poland after annexing Austria. This invasion started World War II.
Germany annexed Austria on March 11–13, 1938.
The annexation of Austria by Germany was called the Anschluss.
The annexation was met with international condemnation, with the loudest verbal protest coming from Mexico. However, no military confrontation took place, and even the strongest voices against the annexation, such as Fascist Italy, France, and Britain, remained at peace.
Germany was interested in annexing Austria for its raw materials and labour. Austria was rich in magnesium, iron ore, textiles, and machine industries. It also had gold and foreign currency reserves, unemployed skilled workers, and potential hydroelectric resources.
