Damon Mcknight
Austria played a significant role in World War II, with its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 marking an important early step in the conflict. The country was enthusiastically welcomed into the Third Reich, with the support of the majority of Austrians, and soon became integral to Hitler's regime. Austrians served in the German military, SS, and Nazi administration, with many holding senior positions and contributing to the Final Solution. The Mauthausen concentration camp, established in 1938, became a key site for Nazi atrocities. The country also witnessed the degradation of its Jewish community, with widespread threats, property confiscation, and exile, setting a model for Nazi policies across Europe. While resistance groups existed, they were small and hampered by political divisions. After the war, Austria was occupied by Allied forces and struggled with poverty and political violence.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria | 1938 |
| Percentage of Austrian population that was Jewish | 100,000 Jews (roughly 50%) |
| Number of Jews killed during Kristallnacht | Not specified |
| Number of Austrians who joined the Nazi Party | 700,000 |
| Number of Austrians drafted into the Wehrmacht | 1.3 million |
| Number of Austrians who fought for Nazi Germany | 950,000 |
| Number of Austrians killed or missing in action | 250,000 |
| Number of Austrians held as prisoners of war | Not specified |
| Number of Austrians killed in US and British bombing raids | 20,000 |
| Number of Austrian opponents to the Nazi regime who were imprisoned | 100,000 |
| Date Vienna was liberated by Soviet troops | April 13, 1945 |
| Date a provisional Austrian government was set up | April 27, 1945 |
| Date the Austrian State Treaty restored Austria's sovereignty | 1955 |
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What You'll Learn
The Soviet occupation of Austria
Soviet occupation policies in Austria were largely shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was Germany's first victim but would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression. In the long run, the Declaration meant that Austria would emerge as an independent state. The Soviets did not create a separate socialist government in their zone as they 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 Soviet Union and the U.S.-led West.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. Vienna was similarly subdivided, but the central district was collectively administered by the Allied Control Council. While the majority of Austrians were not Nazis, popular support for Germany's wartime policies remained strong until the later phases of the war. Tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons during the war, and many died in concentration camps or prisons, with about 2,700 executed. A number of Austrians also fought as Allied soldiers against the German army.
The Red Army occupied only parts of Austria, including the capital, while Anglo-American troops entered from Germany and Italy. The historical center of Vienna was declared an international zone, with occupation forces changing every month. The four military governors refused to recognize Renner's claim of a national government but did not prevent him from extending his influence into the Western zones. Soviet troops engaged in systematic sexual violence against women, beginning in the first days and weeks after the Soviet victory. Repression against civilians harmed the Red Army's reputation, and on September 28, 1945, Moscow issued an order forbidding violent interrogations.
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The Austrian resistance
Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, with the support of the majority of the Austrian population. By the time World War II began in 1939, more than 100,000 Jews—approximately half of all Austrian Jews—had fled the country. Austrians were overrepresented in the Nazi system of terror against Jews, with many serving in the SS, the elite military corps of the Nazi Party. During the war, hundreds of thousands of Austrians fought as German soldiers.
Despite the widespread support for the Nazis in Austria, a small but significant resistance movement emerged. An estimated 100,000 people participated in this resistance, with thousands imprisoned or executed for their anti-Nazi activities. The Austrian resistance was comprised of various ideological groups, including left-wing resistance groups (mostly communists, with some socialists), conservative resisters (mainly Christian Socialists and monarchists), and religious groups. The political antagonism that had weakened the First Republic of Austria between the two World Wars hampered the cooperation between these groups.
One notable resistance group was led by the priest Heinrich Maier, who sought to reestablish a Habsburg monarchy after the war. Maier's group played a crucial role in providing intelligence to the Allies about the production sites of Nazi weapons and aircraft. They also reported on the mass murder of Jews, using contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz. Other notable resistance groups include the "Great Austrian Freedom Movement" and the monarchist resistance group "Östfrei".
During the war, tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons, with many dying in concentration camps or prisons, and about 2,700 executed. Additionally, a number of Austrians fought as Allied soldiers against the German army. Despite the challenges posed by political divisions, the Austrian resistance made valuable contributions to the Allied war effort and the liberation of Austria from Nazi rule.
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Nazi crimes and the Austrian perpetrators
Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, with the support of most of the Austrian population. This event, known as the Anschluss, saw Austria become an integral part of the Third Reich. Austrians served as soldiers, death camp personnel, and senior Nazi leadership. Hundreds of thousands of Austrians fought as German soldiers, and a substantial number served in the SS, the elite military corps of the Nazi Party.
The widespread persecution and murder of Jews in Austria during Kristallnacht in November 1938 demonstrated that antisemitism was more virulent and violent in Austria than in most other German areas. The "Viennese model" of the degradation of the Austrian Jewish community, including threats, destruction of property, and exile, became the basis for the Nazis' expulsion of Jews from Germany and occupied countries. By the start of World War II in 1939, more than 100,000 Jews had fled Austria.
Austrian Nazis also held diplomatic and academic posts, such as Hermann Neubacher, who held diplomatic posts in the Balkans during the war, and Wolfgang Abel, a professor of racial biology who was involved in compulsory sterilization and racial analyses of Soviet prisoners of war. Heinrich Gross, another academic, wrote about "unworthy lives" and conducted deadly experiments on handicapped children.
After the war, the Allies' interest in prosecuting Austrian war criminals waned due to the emerging disputes of the Cold War. Austria's involvement in Nazi crimes was largely overlooked, and acts of resistance were exaggerated in the culture of remembrance. The "Austrian victim theory," encapsulated in the slogan "Austria – the Nazis' first victim," asserted that Austrians were unwilling victims of the Nazi regime and thus not responsible for its crimes. This myth allowed former Nazis to reintegrate into Austrian society and take on honorable roles.
However, the myth began to unravel in the 1980s due to events such as the election of Kurt Waldheim, a former Wehrmacht intelligence officer, as federal president. Under pressure, Austria began to acknowledge its collective responsibility for Nazi crimes. Efforts to raise awareness of Austrian involvement in Nazi crimes include the new Austrian exhibition "Far Removed. Austria and Auschwitz" at the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, which aims to portray the entangled history of Austrian victims and perpetrators.
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The Austrian Jewish community
In the lead-up to World War II, the Jewish community in Austria faced increasing hostility. During the 1934 Austrian Civil War, the new Fatherland Front and the Federal State of Austria were fascist and targeted members of the Social Democratic Party. While this change in regime did not negatively impact all Jews, those strongly engaged in the Social Democratic Party were affected. According to the 1934 census, there were 191,481 Jews in Austria, with the vast majority (176,034) living in Vienna, where they comprised about 9% of the city's population.
Following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, known as the Anschluss, the situation for Austrian Jews rapidly deteriorated. The Nazis extended anti-Jewish legislation to Austria, and the Mauthausen concentration camp was established near Linz. During the Kristallnacht pogrom in November 1938, dozens of synagogues and hundreds of Jewish shops and apartments in Vienna were destroyed, and many Jews were killed. This event marked the beginning of the degradation of the Austrian Jewish community, which included widespread threats, confiscation of property, and exile. By the start of World War II in 1939, more than 100,000 Jews, roughly half of the Austrian Jewish population, had left the country.
During the war, German policy shifted from expropriation and emigration to one of forced deportation. Thousands of Jews were deported from Austria to occupied Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe, with systematic mass deportations from Vienna beginning in October 1941. About 35,000 Jews were sent to ghettos in Minsk, Riga, and Lodz, and the Lublin region of Poland, where many were shot shortly after arrival. Over 15,000 Viennese Jews were deported to Theresienstadt, and thousands more were sent to concentration camps in Germany.
By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in Austria, mostly those married to non-Jews. The Holocaust drastically reduced the Austrian Jewish community, with approximately 5,000 Jews left in the country by the end of the war. Of the original pre-war population, it is estimated that about 65,500 Austrian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, with 62,000 of them known by name.
After the war, the remaining Jewish community in Austria struggled and relied on outside assistance. The majority of those who returned to Austria were elderly, as they had faced more challenges settling abroad. The country was occupied by the four Allied powers, and Austrian politicians were slow to address the crimes committed against the Jewish population during the Nazi regime.
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Austria's role in the lead-up to World War II
Austria played a significant role in the lead-up to World War II, with its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 marking a key event. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, was met with overwhelming support from the Austrian population, with estimates placing the number of Austrians who joined the Nazi Party at around 700,000, or 10% of the population. The enthusiasm for the Anschluss is indicative of the strong support for Germany's wartime policies among Austrians, a sentiment that persisted until the later phases of World War II.
During the lead-up to World War II, Austria witnessed the degradation of its Jewish community, known as the Viennese model, which served as a blueprint for the Nazis' expulsion of Jews from Germany and occupied countries. This period saw violent pogroms, threats, destruction of property, and the exile of Jews, particularly in Vienna. By the start of World War II in 1939, more than 100,000 Jews, approximately half of Austria's Jewish population, had fled the country.
Austrian individuals held notable positions within the Nazi regime, contributing to its war efforts and crimes. Austrians served in senior leadership roles, death camp personnel, and the Wehrmacht. Approximately 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces during World War II, and others held positions in the SS, the elite military corps of the Nazi Party. Notable Austrian Nazis include Hermann Neubacher, a diplomat; Lothar Rendulic, an army group commander; and Amon Göth, commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp.
However, it is important to acknowledge that a small but dedicated Austrian resistance movement opposed Nazism. Historians estimate that around 100,000 Austrians actively resisted the regime, reflecting a spectrum of political ideologies. These resistance groups included left-wing and conservative factions, with communists and socialists comprising a significant portion. Unfortunately, the resistance movement was hampered by political antagonism and infighting, limiting their effectiveness in countering the Nazi regime's influence in Austria.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the support of the Austrian population. The country became an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people joining the Nazi Party. During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, with many more serving in the SS and other Nazi administration roles.
Austria was liberated from Nazi rule by the Soviet Union in 1945. The country was left with damaged infrastructure and emerged as one of the poorest in Europe. It remained divided into occupation zones controlled by the Allies until 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty restored its sovereignty.
The Austrian resistance was small but not negligible. It was dominated by left-wing resistance groups, mainly communists, but also included conservative resisters. Tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons during the war, and about 2,700 were executed.
The Anschluss was the unification of Austria and Nazi Germany in 1938. It was a major step in Austrian-born Hitler's desire to create a Greater German Reich that included all ethnic Germans and territories lost by the German Empire after World War I. As a result of the Anschluss, the Republic of Austria ceased to exist as an independent state until it was re-established by the Austrian State Treaty in 1955.
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