Ruqayyah Snyder
On March 12, 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Austria, marking the beginning of his expansionist policies. By March 13, German troops had occupied Austria, and Hitler triumphantly announced the unification of Austria and Germany in Vienna, declaring it the entry of my homeland into the German Reich. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, was Hitler's first act of territorial aggression and a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Annexation | March 1938 |
| Date of Referendum | 10 April 1938 |
| Percentage of Voters Supporting Annexation | 99.75% |
| Violation of Treaties | Treaty of Versailles, Treaty of Saint-Germain, World War I Peace Treaties |
| Nazi Propaganda Campaign Slogan | Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer ("One People, One Empire, One Leader") |
| Hitler's Birthplace | Braunau am Inn, Austria |
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's desire for an Austro-German union
Adolf Hitler expressed his desire for an Austro-German union in his earliest writings and speeches. In his autobiography and political treatise, Mein Kampf, published in 1925, he wrote:
> [T]he reunification [of Germany and Austria] is a life task to be carried out by all means! German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland… People of the same blood should be in the same REICH.
Hitler, an Austrian German by birth, picked up his German nationalist ideas at a young age. The first point of the Nazi Party Platform (1920) also reflected his desire for unification:
> We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination.
Hitler's desire for unification was also reflected in his foreign policy goals after he was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933. However, Germany was not immediately militarily and diplomatically ready to carry out these goals. In 1934, Hitler stated that he had no intention of merging Austria into the Third Reich. In a speech at the Reichstag, he said:
> Germany neither intends nor wishes to interfere in the internal affairs of Austria, to annex Austria or to conclude an Anschluss.
In 1938, Germany's annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the Nazi German regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. On March 11–13, 1938, German troops invaded Austria and incorporated it into the German Reich. On March 15, Hitler spoke to a huge crowd in Vienna's Heldenplatz, celebrating the annexation.
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The Berchtesgaden Agreement
The agreement aimed to improve relations between Austria and Germany, which had soured due to the economic boycott imposed by Germany on Austria. The boycott had caused significant damage to Austria's economy, and by the summer of 1936, Schuschnigg believed that his country had no choice but to come to an agreement with Germany.
However, the Berchtesgaden Agreement ultimately failed to prevent the annexation of Austria by Germany. Despite Hitler's assurances to the contrary, he had no intention of respecting Austrian independence. In March 1938, German troops invaded Austria, and the country was incorporated into the German Reich in what became known as the Anschluss. This annexation was celebrated by Hitler in a speech to a large crowd in Vienna's Heldenplatz on March 15, 1938.
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German troops invade Austria
On March 11, 1938, German troops invaded Austria, marking the beginning of the annexation of Austria into the German Reich, known as the Anschluss. This invasion occurred just one day before a planned plebiscite (referendum) on Austrian independence, scheduled for March 13. The Austrian Nazis, who had seized control of government buildings and dominated the streets with parades and salutes to Hitler, took over the country without any violent conflict.
The annexation of Austria had been a goal of Hitler and the Nazi Party since the earliest days of the regime. In his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his desire to unite German-Austria with the German motherland. This desire was also expressed in the first point of the 1920 Nazi Party Platform, which called for "the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany (Großdeutschland) on the basis of the right of national self-determination."
In the lead-up to the invasion, Hitler applied increasing pressure on the Austrian government. In 1936, an agreement was signed between Germany and Austria, which resulted in the release of imprisoned Austrian Nazis and a promise from Germany to respect Austrian sovereignty. However, this did not satisfy Hitler, and he continued to pursue the annexation of Austria. In February 1938, Hitler met with the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, and demanded that members of Austria's Nazi Party be appointed to his cabinet, threatening invasion by the German army if his demands were not met.
The presence of German troops in Austria on March 12, 1938, prevented the plebiscite from taking place and ensured the annexation of Austria into the German Reich. This act of aggression was met with protests from other powers, but there was little effective resistance. The annexation was celebrated by Hitler in a speech to a large crowd in Vienna's Heldenplatz on March 15, 1938. The annexation of Austria was the first step in Hitler's plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe, and it was followed by the targeting of Czechoslovakia, leading to the international crisis and the Munich Agreement in September 1938.
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The Anschluss
The idea of unification was popular in both Germany and Austria, and the Nazis had employed propaganda to encourage Austrians to advocate for the Anschluss. However, the Austrian Nazi Party failed to win any seats in the November 1930 general election. In 1936, the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, signed an agreement with Germany, under which Austria declared itself a "German state" and agreed to always follow Germany's foreign policy lead. In return, Germany promised to respect Austrian sovereignty.
However, this did not satisfy Hitler, and in 1938, he invaded Austria to prevent a national plebiscite, or referendum, which had been called by Schuschnigg to let Austrians decide for themselves whether they wished to remain independent or become part of the Third Reich. On March 11, 1938, Schuschnigg cancelled the plebiscite, which had been scheduled for March 13, and offered to resign. Hitler ordered the invasion to begin at dawn the next day. German troops rushed towards Vienna, and Hitler himself accompanied them, visiting his birthplace at Braunau am Inn and then travelling on to Linz, where he had attended school.
On March 15, 1938, Hitler announced the unification of Austria and Germany in front of a crowd of around 200,000 cheering German Austrians in Vienna's Heldenplatz (Square of Heroes). The annexation was formalised when, on April 10, 1938, more than 99.75% of Austrian voters supported a union with Germany in a referendum. However, the vote was not anonymous, and opponents of the union did not dare to vote against.
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The world's response
The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial expansion committed by Nazi Germany. It was a significant breach of the post-World War I international order, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany.
The international community did not intervene to stop the Anschluss or punish Nazi Germany for violating these treaties. This lack of response constituted a significant act of appeasement, allowing Hitler to continue his expansionist policies unchecked. The governments of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States agreed that the annexation was null and void and that a free and independent Austria should be re-established. However, beyond these statements of condemnation, no concrete actions were taken to reverse the annexation or challenge Hitler's aggressive foreign policy.
In the lead-up to the annexation, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg attempted to assert Austrian independence. He called for a plebiscite (referendum) on Austrian independence, scheduled for March 13, 1938. However, German intimidation tactics and the presence of German generals pressured Schuschnigg to sign the Berchtesgaden Agreement, which undermined Austrian sovereignty. Despite these efforts, German troops invaded Austria on March 11-12, 1938, incorporating it into the German Reich.
The Anschluss transformed Austria overnight, as Austrian and German Nazis quickly carried out the Nazification of all aspects of Austrian life. The persecution of Austria's Jewish population soon followed, marking the beginning of a dark chapter in the country's history. The international community's failure to act emboldened Hitler and set the stage for further territorial aggression, such as the occupation of the Sudetenland later in 1938.
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Frequently asked questions
Hitler began the process of annexing Austria in 1936, and by 1938 Austria had ceased to exist as a nation and was a province of Germany.
Hitler, an Austrian German by birth, believed that Austria and Germany should unite to form a Greater German Reich. This was a goal he had outlined in his earliest writings and speeches, and in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf.
Hitler used a combination of political pressure, threats, and military force to annex Austria. He also relied on support from the Austrian Nazi Party, who carried out a terrorism campaign to intimidate Austrians and spread Nazi propaganda.
