Lyla Lindsey
On March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria, marking the beginning of the annexation of Austria to Germany, also known as the Anschluss. This event was the result of a conspiracy by Austrian Nazis to seize the Austrian government and unite the nation with Nazi Germany. The annexation was proclaimed on March 13, 1938, and it represented the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi German regime. The seizure of Austria by Adolf Hitler highlighted his aggressive territorial ambitions and demonstrated the failure of British and French authorities to take action against his violation of the Versailles Treaty.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year Hitler took over Austria | 1938 |
| Date of invasion | 12 March |
| Date of referendum | 10 April |
| Percentage of Austrian population that voted in favour of the Anschluss | 99% |
| Date the Anschluss was proclaimed | 13 March |
| Date Hitler spoke to a crowd in Vienna's Heldenplatz | 15 March |
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What You'll Learn
- Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938 was the first act of territorial expansion
- The Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany
- Hitler's speech in Vienna's Heldenplatz celebrated the annexation
- The Anschluss saw Austrians persecute the country's Jewish population
- The Allied powers declared the Anschluss void after World War II
Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938 was the first act of territorial expansion
The annexation of Austria by Hitler in 1938, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial expansion by Nazi Germany. The unification of Germany and Austria had been expressly forbidden by the treaties of Versailles and Saint-Germain, which were both violated by the Anschluss.
Hitler had long desired a union between Germany and Austria, with the Nazi Party Platform of 1920 stating: "We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination." In his earliest writings and speeches, Hitler expressed his wish for an Austro-German union. By 1936, the Austrian Nazi Party had grown in strength, and Hitler launched the Four Year Plan, which called for a dramatic increase in military spending and aimed to make Germany autarkic by 1940.
In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, upon learning of this, met with Hitler to assert his country's independence. However, he was coerced into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and, on March 9, called a national vote to decide the question of the Anschluss. Before the vote could take place, Schuschnigg resigned on March 11, urging Austrian forces not to resist a German "advance".
On March 12, Hitler entered Austria with German troops and was met with enthusiastic crowds. The next day, the Anschluss was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany. The seizure of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of Britain and France to act against his violation of international treaties.
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The Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany
In 1933, the Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss transformed Austria from a democratic republic into a right-wing authoritarian regime under his control. Dollfuss's government was diplomatically aligned with Fascist Italy and authoritarian Hungary. However, Dollfuss was not a Nazi, and he was committed to crushing the political left in Austria. Beginning in May 1933, the Austrian Nazis, with encouragement and funding from Germany, waged a propaganda and terror campaign aimed at undermining the Dollfuss regime.
On July 25, 1934, Austrian Nazis attempted to overthrow the Austrian government. Members of the Vienna SS took control of the Austrian chancellery, where the cabinet was meeting, and shot and killed Chancellor Dollfuss. Other plotters seized control of the state radio station in Vienna and announced the coup. Outside Vienna, other Austrian Nazis also revolted against the government. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the Austrian military and police forces quickly defeated the conspirators. The coup attempt failed, and Dollfuss was replaced by Kurt von Schuschnigg, who continued many of his predecessor's authoritarian policies.
In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired for the second time to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany. Chancellor Schuschnigg, learning of the conspiracy, met with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in a bid to reassert his country's independence. However, he was bullied into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. On March 9, Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss, or "annexation," once and for all. Before the plebiscite could take place, Schuschnigg gave in to pressure from Hitler and resigned on March 11. In his resignation address, under coercion from the Nazis, he pleaded with Austrian forces not to resist a German "advance" into the country.
On March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria, and the annexation of Austria to Germany was proclaimed on March 13. Austrians expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for the Nazi takeover of their country, although this enthusiasm surprised both Nazis and non-Nazis, as most people had believed that a majority of Austrians opposed the Anschluss. On April 10, a referendum was held to legitimize the Nazi military action, with more than 99% of the Austrian population voting in favour. The takeover allowed the Austrian Nazis to flaunt their antisemitism and carry out the Nazification of all aspects of Austrian life.
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Hitler's speech in Vienna's Heldenplatz celebrated the annexation
On March 12, 1938, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds. Three days later, on March 15, Hitler gave a speech from the balcony of the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna's Heldenplatz square, celebrating the annexation of Austria and proclaiming the union of Austria and Nazi Germany. This event, known as the Anschluss, marked the incorporation of Austria as a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II.
Hitler's speech in Vienna's Heldenplatz, or Heroes' Square, held significant symbolic value. The square, located in front of the Hofburg Palace, had been used by politicians to address open-air gatherings in the years following World War I. However, Hitler's speech on March 15, 1938, stood out as a tragic exception. The balcony from which Hitler spoke became known as "Hitler's balcony," forever associated with the dictator's presence and the political merging of the two nations.
The speech itself formally announced the annexation of Austria, which had been a long-held goal of Hitler and the Nazis. As early as 1936, Hitler had launched the Four Year Plan, which included a dramatic increase in military spending and the aim of making Germany ready for world war by 1940. By 1937, Hitler had confided to Goebbels that Austria would eventually need to be taken "by force." The enthusiasm displayed by Austrians toward Hitler and the Germans surprised even the Nazis, as it was believed that a majority of Austrians opposed the Anschluss.
The annexation of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of British and French authorities to intervene despite his violation of the Versailles Treaty. On April 10, 1938, the Nazis organized a referendum to legitimize their military action, with more than 99% of the Austrian population voting in favor of the Anschluss. This vote allowed Austrian Nazis to openly express their antisemitism, targeting Jews in Vienna and throughout the country. The seizure of Austria by Hitler and the Nazis marked a pivotal moment in history, setting the stage for the expansion of Nazi influence and the subsequent horrors inflicted on millions during World War II.
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The Anschluss saw Austrians persecute the country's Jewish population
On March 12, 1938, Hitler's army marched into Austria, and the subsequent Anschluss saw the country integrated into the German Reich. This event signalled the beginning of the destruction of Jewish life in Austria.
The enthusiasm displayed by Austrians towards Hitler and the Germans surprised both Nazis and non-Nazis, as most people had believed that a majority of Austrians opposed the Anschluss. However, many Austrians welcomed the union as they saw it as completing the complex and long-overdue unification of all Germans into one state. Hitler had originally intended to leave Austria as a satellite state, but the overwhelming reception caused him to change course and absorb Austria directly into the Reich.
On April 10, 1938, the Nazis organised a referendum to legitimise their military action. More than 99% of the Austrian population voted in favour of the Anschluss, likely because the vote was not anonymous and opponents did not dare to vote against. The takeover allowed the Austrian Nazis to flaunt their antisemitism. They visited Jews at home, robbed them, and smashed their furniture. In Vienna, Nazis forced Jews to scrub pro-Austrian slogans off the streets with toothbrushes. Many Jews tried to flee, and more than 200 Viennese Jews took their own lives within two weeks.
Austrian Jews were forced to join Putzerkolonnen, or cleaning units, given the task of removing political slogans from pavements or walls. Austrians lined up to claim Jewish homes and belongings, and the robbery of Jews was the largest theft in history. The Anschluss opened the floodgates for Austrian Nazis to act on their vicious Jew-hatred. In many places, demonstrations were staged in front of Jewish homes, demanding the departure of the inhabitants. Public speeches and newspapers proclaimed, "Juden Raus!" or "Out with the Jews!".
The seizure of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of the British and French to take action against him for violating the Versailles Treaty.
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The Allied powers declared the Anschluss void after World War II
On March 12, 1938, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were met with enthusiasm by the crowds. The Austrian Chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, had resigned the day before, after being bullied into naming several Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and giving in to pressure from Hitler. On March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany.
However, this union was not to last. At the end of World War II, a Provisional Austrian Government was set up by conservatives, Social Democrats, and Communists on April 27, 1945, when Vienna had already been occupied by the Red Army. This government, under Karl Renner, cancelled the Anschluss the same day and was legally recognized by the Allies in the following months. The Allied powers declared the Anschluss null and void, and Austria was re-established as an independent country. This was in line with the Moscow Declaration of 1943, signed by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, which stated that Austria "shall be liberated from German domination" and that the annexation imposed on Austria by Germany was considered "null and void".
Austria remained divided into occupation zones and controlled by the Allied Commission until 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty restored its full sovereignty. This treaty finally re-established Austria as a sovereign state, separate from Germany, and recognized by the international community. The seizure of Austria by Hitler had demonstrated his aggressive territorial ambitions and his disregard for the Versailles Treaty, which the British and French failed to enforce.
The Anschluss had been a long-held ambition of many Germans and Austrians, who saw it as completing the unification of all Germans into one state. Hitler had originally intended to leave Austria as a satellite state, but the overwhelming reception he received caused him to absorb Austria directly into the Reich. This was enabled by the Austro-German treaty, which stated that Austria would always follow Germany's lead in foreign policy and allowed members of the "National Opposition" to enter the cabinet. However, Hitler's true intentions became clear as his regime began mass arrests, and Austrian Jews were subjected to antisemitism and violence.
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Frequently asked questions
Hitler took over Austria in 1938.
The takeover of Austria by Nazi Germany was called the Anschluss.
Anschluss means "union with" in German.
Many Austrians supported the union with Germany. On April 10, 1938, more than 99% of Austrian voters supported the union in a referendum.
After the Anschluss, Austrian and German Nazis carried out the Nazification of Austrian life. Austrians persecuted the country's Jewish population and enacted Nazi policies.
