Ruqayyah Snyder
Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. However, Hitler's expansionist policies aimed to incorporate as many ethnic Germans outside of Germany as possible into a Greater Germany. In 1938, Hitler began his expansion by colluding with Austrian Nazis to annex Austria to Germany, known as the Anschluss. This was the first act of territorial expansion committed by Nazi Germany.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hitler's role in the unification of Germany and Austria | Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 and began his expansion of national boundaries in 1938 to incorporate ethnic Germans. |
| In 1938, Hitler colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the unification of Austria with Germany, known as the "Anschluss." | |
| The unification of Austria and Germany was achieved through annexation, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade such an act. | |
| Hitler's rise to power | Hitler rose to power through the Nazi Party, which he forged after returning as a veteran from World War I. |
| He was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. | |
| Hitler's rise to power was influenced by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which Germany deemed humiliating. | |
| Nazi support in Austria | In the 1920s, the idea of unification had strong support in Austria, particularly from Austrian citizens of the political left and center. |
| Austrian Nazis seized power in government buildings and dominated the streets, carrying out the "Nazification" of Austrian life with the participation of many Austrians. | |
| In the 1930 General Election, the Austrian National Socialists linked to Hitler received only 779 votes. | |
| Nazi expansionary policies | Hitler's expansionary policies included the annexation of Austria and the forced surrender of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, a region populated predominantly by ethnic Germans. |
| The acceptance of the unification of Austria and Germany by other European powers allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked. |
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's expansion of national boundaries in 1938
In 1938, five years after being appointed chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler began his expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. This expansion was driven by Hitler's admiration for the United States' territorial expansion and his belief in the "`inevitable expansion`" of Nazi geopolitics. He aimed to transform Germany into a world superpower and uphold German national honour.
Hitler's expansionist agenda was also influenced by his racist ideology, as articulated in his political autobiography, "Mein Kampf." He sought to expand German territories eastward, driven by anti-Slavism and the desire for "Lebensraum" or "living space." This expansion was justified through the notion of the natural right of the German Aryan race to occupy and exploit the lands of other countries, regardless of the native populations.
One of Hitler's significant moves in 1938 was the annexation of Austria, known as the "Anschluss." This union with Germany had been a long-standing goal of Hitler and the Austrian Nazis. 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. On March 12, German troops entered Austria, receiving enthusiastic support from the Austrian population, and Hitler annexed Austria outright on March 13. A controlled plebiscite held on April 10 gave a 99.7% approval rating.
In addition to the annexation of Austria, Hitler also set his sights on Czechoslovakia in 1938. He demanded the surrender of the Sudetenland, a border region predominantly populated by ethnic Germans. The Czechs sought help from Great Britain and France, but these nations chose a policy of appeasement to avoid war. At a conference in Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France agreed to cede the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany in exchange for Hitler's pledge not to seek additional territory. However, Hitler broke this agreement in March 1939 when German forces occupied the remainder of Czechoslovakia, including Prague.
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The Austrian chancellor in 1938, Kurt von Schuschnigg
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. In 1938, Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He annexed Austria to Germany, a move known as the Anschluss.
The Austrian chancellor at the time was Kurt von Schuschnigg, who had been appointed chancellor in 1934 following the assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Dollfuss. Schuschnigg was an Austrian politician and lawyer of monarchist political sympathies attached to the Christian Social Party. He was first elected to the federal Nationalrat (lower house of parliament) in 1927. In the government of Engelbert Dollfuss (1932–34), he served as minister of justice (1932) and then minister of education (1933).
Schuschnigg struggled to prevent the Nazi takeover of Austria. He considered Austria a "German state" and Austrians to be Germans, but he strongly opposed Hitler's goal to absorb Austria into the Third Reich and wished for it to remain independent. He attempted to counterbalance the German threat by aligning himself with Austria's southern and eastern neighbours—the Kingdom of Italy under Benito Mussolini and the Kingdom of Hungary. However, Mussolini had abandoned the idea of intervening to protect Austria and instead sought Hitler's support, leaving Austria under increasing pressure.
In July 1936, Schuschnigg signed an Austro-German Agreement, which allowed the release of imprisoned July Putsch insurgents and the inclusion of Nazi contact men in the Austrian cabinet. In February 1938, Schuschnigg met with Hitler, who presented him with a set of demands that amounted to an ultimatum, effectively demanding the handing over of power to the Austrian Nazis. Schuschnigg was forced to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. He eventually resigned, ordering the Austrian Army not to resist the Germans. After the annexation, he was arrested and kept in solitary confinement before being interned in various concentration camps.
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The Austrian branch of Hitler's party
In 1931, the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognized Hitler as their leader, and he, in turn, appointed a German Nazi to bring the Austrian party in line. The Austrian Nazis gained more supporters in 1931-1932 as Hitler's popularity in Germany increased, especially after he was appointed German chancellor in January 1933. In the 1930 General Election, the Austrian National Socialists linked to Hitler's NSDAP received only 3.6% of the votes and failed to enter Parliament.
In the following years, the Austrian Nazis gained more votes at the expense of the various German national groups, who also wanted unity with Germany. However, the Austrian Nazi Party faced significant opposition from other political groups in Austria, such as the Social Democrats and the Christian Social Party. There were frequent acts of violence between the various armed factions, and people were regularly killed.
In 1938, Hitler began his expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans, and he colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. This act transformed Austria, and Austrian Nazis carried out the Nazification of all aspects of Austrian life, with many Austrians participating enthusiastically. They enacted Nazi policies, persecuted the country's Jewish population, and fought in World War II, participating in the mass murder of Europe's Jews.
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Hitler's appointment as chancellor of Germany in 1933
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, by President Paul von Hindenburg. This appointment came after a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party, which saw it transform from a small, violent, revolutionary party to the largest elected party in the Reichstag between 1924 and 1933. Hitler's rise to power was facilitated by a combination of factors, including his restructuring of the Nazi Party, the use of propaganda, and the economic and political instability of the Weimar Republic.
Hitler's rise to prominence in Germany was spurred by the German people's frustration with the dismal economic conditions and the lingering resentment from the country's defeat in World War I. The harsh peace terms of the Versailles Treaty, which included hefty war reparations, the loss of overseas colonies, and the surrender of valued territories, further fueled popular discontent. Hitler, a charismatic speaker, channelled this discontent into support for his fledgling Nazi party.
Joseph Goebbels, who joined the Nazi Party in 1924, played a crucial role in shaping the party's propaganda. He utilised modern media, such as films and radio, as well as traditional tools like posters and newspapers, to build an image of Hitler as a strong and stable leader that Germany needed. This image, known as "The Hitler Myth," contributed significantly to the party's growing appeal.
The Nazi Party's electoral success culminated in the July 1932 election, where they won 230 governmental seats, becoming the largest party in the Reichstag. Despite this victory, Hitler was not immediately appointed chancellor due to Hindenburg's initial reluctance. However, as the economic and political instability worsened, and with the support of conservative elements, Hitler was finally appointed to the position in January 1933.
Hitler's appointment as chancellor marked the beginning of his absolute rule, during which he smashed Germany's democratic institutions and transformed the country into a war state intent on European conquest. His invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, triggered the European phase of World War II, and his expansionist policies, such as the annexation of Austria in 1938, further destabilised the region.
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Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939
Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, becoming chancellor following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. He ruled until his death by suicide in April 1945. Hitler's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, marked the beginning of World War II. Before the invasion, Hitler explained to his officers that the objective was to obtain "Lebensraum" for Germany. This concept, elaborated in the infamous Generalplan Ost, held that only by acquiring "living space" could Germans fulfill their destiny as the "master race".
Hitler's invasion of Poland was a joint attack by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union. It decimated urban residential areas, with civilians soon becoming indistinguishable from combatants. The German occupation was one of the most brutal episodes of World War II, resulting in the deaths of about one-sixth of Poland's total population, or between 5.47 million and 5.67 million people.
Hitler's invasion of Poland was not a spontaneous decision but rather a long-planned act. By the summer of 1939, he had already succeeded in annexing Austria, the Sudetenland, and all of Czechoslovakia without firing a shot. Poland was always going to be next. On August 22, just before the invasion, Hitler delivered a speech to his military commanders at Obersalzberg, making his intentions clear.
Hitler justified his invasion of Poland by pointing to the Gleiwitz incident, in which local Silesian German farmer Franciszek Honiok, known for his sympathy towards Poland, was arrested by the Gestapo, drugged, and shot. Joseph Goebbels's propaganda machine quickly spread stories about the alleged attack, providing Hitler with a pretext for the invasion.
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Frequently asked questions
Hitler came to power in Austria in March 1938.
Hitler came to power in Austria through the annexation of the country to Germany, known as the Anschluss.
Hitler did not use force to come to power in Austria. German troops were met with flowers and cheers from enthusiastic crowds.
Hitler did not face any resistance when coming to power in Austria. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to maintain Austria's independence but was coerced into naming Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and eventually resigning.
The Anschluss was the first act of territorial expansion committed by Nazi Germany, and it violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain. However, the other European powers did not punish Hitler for violating these treaties and instead accepted the annexation as a significant act of appeasement.
