Leslie Massey
On March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria, marking the beginning of Nazi Germany's annexation of the country. This event, known as the Anschluss, was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi regime and was supported by a significant portion of the Austrian population. The invasion was met with enthusiasm, with Austrians greeting German soldiers with Nazi salutes and flowers. This support for the Nazis and the unification of Austria and Germany had been cultivated by Nazi agents since the early 1920s, and it led to the active participation of many Austrians in the Nazi war machine during World War II.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of invasion | 12 March 1938 |
| Number of troops | 4,000 |
| Number of Austrians gathered in Linz to meet Hitler | 250,000 |
| Percentage of Austrian population that joined the Nazi Party | 10% |
| Number of Austrians drafted by the Wehrmacht between 1938 and 1945 | 1.3 million |
| Number of drafted Austrians who never returned home | 242,000 |
| Number of Austrian civilians arrested by Soviet military tribunals in the initial eight months of occupation | 800 |
| Number of Austrian civilians prosecuted by the Soviets by 1955 | 1,250 |
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's ultimatum to Schuschnigg
On March 11, 1938, Hitler sent an ultimatum to Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, demanding that he hand over all power to the Austrian Nazis. The ultimatum was set to expire at noon but was extended by two hours. Hitler demanded that Schuschnigg place five Austrian Nazis or Nazi sympathizers in his cabinet. Schuschnigg, a bitter foe of Nazi penetration into Austria, capitulated and submitted his new cabinet list to President Wilhelm Miklas. He appointed Dr Arthur Von Seyss-Inquart, a leader of the outlawed Austrian Nazis, to the powerful cabinet posts of minister of the interior and public security. By this move, Hitler gained control of the Austrian police and enabled the Nazis to suppress the activities of Austrian monarchists.
Schuschnigg, who became chancellor after Dollfuss's assassination, struggled to maintain Austrian independence in the face of growing Nazi influence. He pursued a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, signing the Austro-German Agreement in 1936, which included concessions such as the release of imprisoned Nazi insurgents and the inclusion of Nazis in the Austrian cabinet. However, by early 1938, Schuschnigg was under increasing pressure from pro-unification activists, and he announced that a referendum would be held on a possible union with Germany.
Hitler, however, was not willing to wait for the referendum and threatened an invasion. On March 12, 1938, the German army crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. A plebiscite was held on April 10, with threats and coercion employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval. The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, was thus completed. Schuschnigg, having failed to preserve Austrian independence, resigned on the evening of March 11 and was later arrested and interned in concentration camps until his liberation by the US Army in 1945.
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The Austrian Nazi Party
In the 1927 General Election, the Austrian National Socialists received only 779 votes and failed to gain any seats in Parliament. However, by 1931, the majority of Austrian Nazis recognized Hitler as their leader, and the party began to gain more supporters as Hitler's popularity in Germany rose. After Hitler became German chancellor in 1933, Austrian Nazis fled to Bavaria and founded the Austrian Legion, receiving military training and support from German Nazis. In June 1933, the Austrian Nazi Party was banned in response to a fatal hand grenade attack in Krems. Despite the ban, Austrian Nazis continued to operate illegally, and on July 25, 1934, they attempted a coup by taking control of the Austrian chancellery.
After the assassination of Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss by Austrian Nazis in 1934, Kurt von Schuschnigg took over and continued authoritarian policies, arresting thousands of Austrian Nazis. In 1938, under pressure from pro-unification activists, Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany. However, before the referendum could take place, Hitler sent an ultimatum demanding that Schuschnigg hand over power to the Austrian Nazis or face an invasion. On March 12, 1938, German troops crossed the border into Austria, and Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany. This event, known as the Anschluss, marked the unification of Austria with Germany under Nazi rule.
During the Anschluss, Austrians enthusiastically supported the Nazis and participated in the persecution of the country's Jewish population. About 700,000 Austrians, or 10% of the population, joined the Nazi Party. Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, served in Nazi administration, and were complicit in Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front. After World War II, Austria was occupied by Soviet, Anglo-American, French, and British troops and divided into four occupation zones. While Austria was considered a defeated Axis power, it was also viewed as a victim of Nazi Germany and eventually emerged as an independent state.
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The Anschluss
The idea of unification had been proposed as early as 1919, and it gained support in the 1920s, particularly from Austrian citizens of the political left and centre, including prominent Social Democrat leader Otto Bauer. The unification was seen as a way to ensure the economic viability of Austria, which had been stripped of its imperial land. However, support for unification began to fade over time, and by the early 1930s, regional patriotism was stronger than pan-German sentiment.
After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis and their "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept, which aimed to incorporate as many Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans outside Germany) as possible into a "Greater Germany". Hitler himself had written in Mein Kampf (1925) about his intention to create a union between his birth country, Austria, and Germany by any means possible. The Nazis in Austria, supported by Germany, sought to undermine the Austrian government, which was controlled by the Austrofascist Fatherland Front, opposed to unification.
In February 1938, Hitler invited Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg later announced a plebiscite on the question of the Anschluss, but he was pressured to cancel it and resign on March 11, 1938. On March 12, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria without facing any resistance, as Schuschnigg had ordered the Austrian Army not to fight back. The invasion, dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War") due to the cheering Austrians greeting the troops with Nazi salutes, flags, and flowers, gave Hitler the cover to annex Austria outright on March 13, with a controlled plebiscite held in April showing a 99.7% approval.
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Soviet occupation of Austria
Austria was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1938. On 12 March 1938, the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria, and was greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. This "invasion" without shots fired was dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War"). Austria was then an integral part of the Third Reich, with 700,000 people, or 10% of the population, joining the Nazi Party.
In the aftermath of World War II, Austria was jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. The country was divided into four occupation zones, with Vienna similarly subdivided, and the central district collectively administered by the Allied Control Council. The Soviet Union's occupation of Austria lasted from 1945 to 1955.
The Soviet occupation of Austria was shaped by the Moscow Declaration of 1943, in which the British, Americans, and Soviets proclaimed that Austria was Germany's first victim, but that it would also have to pay the price for its participation in Nazi aggression. The Red Army occupied only parts of Austria, including Vienna, while Anglo-American troops entered from Germany and Italy. The Soviet zone included the states of Burgenland, Lower Austria, and the Mühlviertel area of Upper Austria, north of the Danube.
The Soviet occupation of Austria was not a priority for Moscow, and the country did not experience the same level of political violence as other countries occupied by the Red Army. However, there were still arrests and tribunals of Austrian civilians, with charges ranging from belonging to the Nazi Werewolf resistance group to espionage and war crimes. The Red Army also engaged in systematic sexual violence against women, and repression of civilians that harmed its reputation.
In 1955, Austria was granted full independence, and the last occupation troops left the country.
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Nazi territorial aggression
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, and from then on, desire for unification could be identified with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of the "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept, which sought to incorporate as many Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans outside Germany) as possible into a "Greater Germany".
Hitler had written in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, that he would create a union between his birth country, Austria, and Germany by any means possible. In February 1938, Hitler emphasised to Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg the need for Germany to secure its frontiers. On 11 March 1938, Hitler sent an ultimatum to Schuschnigg, demanding that he hand over all power to the Austrian Nazis or face an invasion. Schuschnigg resigned that evening, and on the morning of 12 March, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria. The troops were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The "invasion" without shots fired was therefore dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War").
The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. It was a watershed moment in Nazi Germany's foreign policy, and the international community did not intervene to stop it or punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties. Thus, the Anschluss is one of the earliest and most significant examples of the international community's appeasement of Hitler's aggressive foreign policy.
Nazi Germany's prewar and wartime territorial expansion eventually brought millions of Jewish people under German control. The Anschluss resulted in an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population. Overall, the annexation of Austria was an important step in Hitler's aggressive foreign policy, which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.
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Frequently asked questions
The Nazis invaded Austria on 12 March 1938.
The invasion of Austria by Nazi Germany is known as the Anschluss, which translates to 'union' or 'joining'.
No, the invasion was unopposed. Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg instructed the Austrian military not to resist German troops and the Austrian government ordered the Austrian Bundesheer not to fight.
