Ruqayyah Snyder
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the support of the majority of the Austrian population. After World War II, Austria was occupied by the Allies and declared independent from Nazi Germany on 27 April 1945. The country was jointly occupied by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955, when it was granted full independence. In this paragraph, we will explore the events that led to Austria's occupation after World War II and the impact it had on the country.
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What You'll Learn
Soviet occupation of Austria
The Soviet occupation of Austria began in the spring of 1945, as the Red Army pushed into the country from Hungary, aiming to capture Vienna. The Soviet advance was briefly stalled by a German offensive at Lake Balaton in March 1945, but the Soviets regrouped and launched a counterattack, eventually taking Vienna in April 1945. This marked the beginning of the Soviet occupation of the country, which lasted until 1955.
During the war, Nazi Germany had annexed Austria with the support of the Austrian population, and many Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces. However, in 1943, the Allies agreed in the Moscow Declaration that Austria would be regarded as the first victim of Nazi aggression and treated as a liberated and independent country after the war. This declaration shaped Soviet occupation policies in Austria to a large extent.
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, the Austrian capital, was similarly subdivided, with the central district collectively administered by the Allied Control Council, with occupation forces changing every month. The Soviet Zone included Burgenland, Lower Austria, and the Mühlviertel area of Upper Austria, north of the Danube.
The Soviet occupation of Austria was marked by tensions and challenges. The Red Army suffered significant casualties in the Battle of Vienna, losing 17,000 lives. There were also reports of systematic sexual violence against women by Soviet troops in the first days and weeks after the Soviet victory. Repression against civilians harmed the Red Army's reputation, and Moscow issued an order in September 1945 forbidding violent interrogations. Throughout the occupation, the Soviet leadership had to deal with issues such as desertion, plunder, and the need to contain tensions between different factions in Austrian society.
The Soviet Union maintained a presence in Austria until 1955, when the country was granted full independence after promising perpetual neutrality. The last occupation troops departed on 25 October 1955, marking the end of the Soviet occupation and the beginning of a new era of Austrian independence and neutrality.
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Austria's role in Nazi crimes
Before World War II, Jews were integral to Austria's economy and culture, with a population of about 192,000 in 1938, comprising around 4% of the total population. Vienna, the capital, was a hub for Jewish culture, Zionism, and education, with Jews making up around 9% of the city's residents. However, by December 1939, their numbers had dwindled to 57,000 due to emigration, as Nazi propaganda, economic stagnation, and political dictatorship took their toll.
The Mauthausen concentration camp, established in 1938 after the German annexation, became the main Nazi camp in Austria. It was a special penal camp with a harsh regime, where inmates endured forced labour and brutal punishments. The "Stairway of Death" at Mauthausen is a chilling testament to the horrors endured by prisoners.
During the war, the Nazis deported thousands of Jews from Austria to occupied Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe. By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in Austria, mostly due to being married to non-Jews. When the war ended, more than 65,000 Austrian Jews had perished, many in extermination camps. The Nazis also targeted thousands of Roma (Gypsies) for deportation or murder, and tens of thousands of Austrians with disabilities were killed, predominantly at Hartheim Castle.
Austrians actively participated in Nazi crimes and the persecution of Jews. They were overrepresented in the system of terror and on the battlefields, with hundreds of thousands fighting as German soldiers and many serving in the SS. Austrian gauleiters like Hugo Jury, Franz Hofer, and Friedrich Rainer were complicit in Nazi crimes. Additionally, Austrians enthusiastically supported the German annexation, and Austrian Nazis numbered around 700,000. However, it's important to note that a small but significant Austrian resistance movement existed, and tens of thousands were arrested for opposing the regime.
In the aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones overseen by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. The denazification process unfolded, and by 1948, the registration of 537,000 Austrian Nazis had largely ended. Memorials were eventually erected to commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime, and in the 1980s and 1990s, Austria collectively acknowledged its responsibility for the crimes committed during the Nazi occupation, abandoning the "victim theory".
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The Vienna Offensive
In the winter of 1945, the Soviet troops approached Austria's border from Hungary, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front played a crucial role in absorbing the Germans' last major offensive at Lake Balaton in March. This counterattack developed into the Vienna Strategic Offensive Operation, leading to the elimination of the bulk of German forces in southern Austria and the capture of Vienna.
The battle for Vienna was fierce, with street-to-street fighting lasting several days before the Soviets captured the city on April 15, 1945. Vienna had endured continuous bombardment in the year leading up to the Soviet arrival, resulting in extensive damage to its buildings and infrastructure. The Red Army suffered significant casualties, with 17,000 lives lost in the Battle of Vienna alone. Unfortunately, the Soviet victory was marred by systematic sexual violence against women and repression against civilians, tarnishing their reputation and necessitating Moscow's intervention to forbid violent interrogations.
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Austrian independence
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the support of the Austrian population. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resigned on March 11, 1938, and in his resignation address, under coercion from the Nazis, he asked Austrian forces not to resist a German "advance" into the country. The next day, German troops entered Austria, greeted by enthusiastic crowds.
In 1941, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin informed the British that the U.S.S.R. would regard the restoration of an independent Austrian republic as essential. In 1943, the Allies agreed in the Moscow Declaration that Austria would be considered the first victim of Nazi aggression and treated as a liberated and independent country after the war. In April 1945, the Soviets instructed Karl Renner to form a provisional government, and seven days later, his cabinet took office and declared Austria's independence from Nazi Germany.
After World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. In 1946, the Allies signed the Second Control Agreement, which loosened their dominance over the Austrian government. Over the next nine years, the country was gradually emancipated from foreign control and evolved from a "nation under tutelage" to full independence.
Austria remained under joint occupation by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955. After Austrian promises of perpetual neutrality, Austria was accorded full independence on May 15, 1955, and the last occupation troops left on October 25 of that year.
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The Austrian Resistance
Austria was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the majority of the Austrian population welcoming the annexation. However, a small but significant resistance movement emerged, comprising an estimated 100,000 people. The Austrian resistance was launched in response to the rise of fascism in Europe and, more specifically, the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938.
The resistance took various forms, including armed groups, intelligence-gathering, and providing support to Jewish families during the Holocaust. One notable resistance group was led by priest Heinrich Maier, who sought to re-establish a Habsburg monarchy after the war. The Maier group played a crucial role in providing the Allies with information on Nazi weapons production sites, enabling precise airstrikes and minimising civilian casualties. They also reported on the mass murder of Jews, using contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.
Another resistance group, founded in 1941 by Wolfgang Pfaundler and Hubert Sauerwein, consisted of around 50 people. They engaged in political activities and sabotaged militarily important facilities such as bridges and railways. A larger league of 200-300 fighters, known as the Koralmpartisanen, operated from 1944 to 1945 in Western Styria, attacking infrastructure in the districts of Leibnitz and Deutschlandsberg.
The resistance movement faced challenges due to the deep political divide in Austria, which hindered cooperation between émigrés and various resistance groups. Additionally, tens of thousands of Austrians were arrested for political reasons during the war, and many died in concentration camps or prisons. Despite the risks, some Austrians fought as Allied soldiers against the German army.
After World War II, Austria was jointly occupied by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union until 1955. The country was divided into four occupation zones, with Vienna serving as an international zone administered by the Allied Control Council. The Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France all had a presence in Austria during this period.
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Frequently asked questions
WWII ended in Austria on April 27, 1945, when the country was declared independent from Nazi Germany.
The Soviet Union invaded Austria in May 1945, after the Vienna Strategic Offensive Operation.
The occupation of Austria ended on July 27, 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty came into force.
