Leslie Massey
Hitler's desire to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia was driven by his ideology of Lebensraum, or living space, which he outlined in his book Mein Kampf. He believed that Austria, his country of birth, should be part of the German motherland, united by a common blood [that] belongs in a common Reich. In 1938, Hitler annexed Austria, encountering little resistance, and proclaimed the Anschluss, or union with Austria. Similarly, Hitler's interest in Czechoslovakia was motivated by its strategic position bordering Germany and its valuable raw materials and industries. By seizing Czechoslovakia, Hitler aimed to increase Germany's supply of food and reduce the need for imports, freeing up resources for his Four Year Plan.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for seizing Austria | Austria was home to millions of people who considered themselves German and spoke German as their primary language. |
| Annexing Austria was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by the Nazi regime. | |
| Hitler wanted to unify all Germans into one state. | |
| Austria was economically dependent on the lands previously held by Austria-Hungary. | |
| Austria was a right-wing authoritarian regime under Hitler's control. | |
| Hitler wanted to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe. | |
| Reason for seizing Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia was a very rich country with the world's largest munitions site at Skoda. |
| Hitler wanted to include all Germans within the Reich. | |
| Seizing Czechoslovakia would increase the supply of food under German control, which would lessen the need to import food. | |
| The seizure of Austria turned the defences of Czechoslovakia, making it vulnerable to an attack from the South. | |
| Czechoslovakia was home to 3,250,000 ethnic Germans who had never been part of modern-day Germany but were part of the Habsburg Empire. | |
| Germany urgently needed to seize the gold of the Czechoslovak central bank to overcome the foreign exchange crisis. |
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What You'll Learn
- Hitler wanted to seize Czechoslovakia for its raw materials and industries
- He believed seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia was necessary for 'living space'
- The Austrian chancellor's resistance to Hitler's demands led to his invasion
- Hitler wanted to seize Czechoslovakia to increase food supply and lessen import needs
- The annexation of Austria was popular with many Germans and Austrians
Hitler wanted to seize Czechoslovakia for its raw materials and industries
In the late 1930s, Hitler's Germany was facing economic woes due to the Great Depression and the rearmament programme's high costs. The country was running out of foreign exchange reserves to pay for the raw materials it needed for the Four Year Plan. In November 1937, Hitler decided that seizing Czechoslovakia would be a solution to this crisis.
Czechoslovakia had Europe's seventh-largest economy and was the most modern, developed, and industrialised economy in Eastern Europe. It was a major manufacturer of machine guns, tanks, and artillery, with many factories producing weapons and crucial raw materials. By occupying Czechoslovakia, Germany would gain a substantial amount of weaponry, including field cannons, tanks, anti-aircraft artillery, machine guns, military rifles, ammunition, and shells.
Hitler's wish to occupy Czechoslovakia was thus largely driven by economic and strategic reasons. He wanted to seize the country's gold reserves, industries, and raw materials to boost Germany's economy and support its rearmament programme. The occupation would also give Germany control over Czechoslovakia's substantial military assets, strengthening the Nazi war machine.
In March 1939, Hitler occupied the Bohemian and Moravian regions of Czechoslovakia, and Slovakia became a German client state. This occupation provided Germany with access to Czechoslovakia's gold and hard currency, factories, mines, and other resources. It also ensured that Germany could continue its rearmament programme and pursue its aggressive foreign policy objectives.
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He believed seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia was necessary for 'living space'
Hitler's desire to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia was driven by multiple factors, including his pan-German nationalist ideology, economic considerations, and strategic military calculations. One of the key beliefs underpinning Hitler's actions was his commitment to the concept of "Lebensraum," or "living space."
Hitler, a staunch pan-German nationalist, aimed to unite all Germans within the Reich. Both Austria and Czechoslovakia had significant German-speaking populations, with millions considering themselves German. The unification of Austria and Germany had been a subject of debate since the 19th century, and Hitler sought to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe by fulfilling this long-standing aspiration.
The seizure of Austria and Czechoslovakia was also driven by economic considerations. In November 1937, Hitler stated that seizing Czechoslovakia would increase the food supply under German control, reducing the need for food imports and freeing up foreign exchange for the import of raw materials required for the Four Year Plan's targets. Additionally, Czechoslovakia was a very rich country, boasting the world's largest munitions site at Skoda. Hitler recognized that seizing these resources would strengthen Germany's position in the arms race and support his ultimate goal of conquering "living space" in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Furthermore, the annexation of Austria played a strategic role in Hitler's plans for Czechoslovakia. By absorbing Austria, Hitler effectively turned the Czech defences, as their fortifications were primarily focused on the west. This allowed him to contemplate an attack from the south, where they were less defended.
Hitler's actions towards Austria and Czechoslovakia were also enabled by the international community's policy of appeasement. The failure of Britain, France, and other powers to challenge the annexation of Austria sent a signal of acquiescence to Hitler's aggressive foreign policy. This emboldened him to move forward with his plans for Czechoslovakia, culminating in the Munich Agreement of 1938, where world leaders ceded the Sudetenland region to Nazi Germany.
In conclusion, Hitler's belief in the necessity of seizing Austria and Czechoslovakia was rooted in his pan-German nationalist ideology, economic considerations, and strategic military calculations. The concept of "Lebensraum" played a central role in his decision-making, as he sought to secure resources, strengthen Germany's position in the arms race, and ultimately expand German influence in Eastern Europe and beyond.
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The Austrian chancellor's resistance to Hitler's demands led to his invasion
Austria and Czechoslovakia were attractive targets for Hitler because they were home to millions of ethnic Germans. In the case of Austria, many Germans in both Austria and Germany welcomed the idea of unifying all Germans into one state. This unification was known as the Anschluss.
Hitler's intention to bring about an Austro-German union was clear from the moment he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. However, Germany was not yet ready to carry out his foreign policy goals. Hitler focused on establishing a Nazi dictatorship and planning territorial expansion and a European war.
Hitler planned to achieve power in Austria through the Austrian Nazi Party. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Austrian Nazi Party was weak, divided, and ineffective. It wasn't until 1931 that the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognized Hitler as their leader.
In 1934, Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss transformed Austria from a democratic republic into a right-wing authoritarian regime. Dollfuss was committed to crushing the political left in Austria and his government was diplomatically aligned with Fascist Italy and authoritarian Hungary.
Dollfuss was assassinated in 1934 by the Nazi Otto Planetta. Kurt Schuschnigg, who had served in various roles in the Dollfuss government, was appointed Austrian chancellor. Schuschnigg considered Austria a "German state" and Austrians to be Germans, but he was strongly opposed to Hitler's goal to absorb Austria into the Third Reich and wished for it to remain independent.
In early 1938, under increasing pressure from pro-unification activists, Schuschnigg announced that there would be a referendum on a possible union with Germany versus maintaining Austria's sovereignty, to be held on 13 March. Hitler threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. A day before the planned referendum, the German Army crossed the border into Austria unopposed.
Hitler's seizure of Austria demonstrated his aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of the British and the French to take action against him for violating the Versailles Treaty.
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Hitler wanted to seize Czechoslovakia to increase food supply and lessen import needs
The annexation of Austria, or the Anschluss, was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. In 1938, Hitler threatened to unleash a European war unless Czechoslovakia's border area, the Sudetenland, was surrendered to Germany. The Sudetenland had a predominantly ethnic German population, and the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to cede the region to Germany in exchange for a pledge of peace from Hitler. This was a significant act of appeasement that allowed Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.
Hitler's desire to occupy Czechoslovakia was driven by both economic and ideological motives. Firstly, Czechoslovakia had extensive Czechoslovak border fortifications, gold reserves, and hard currency, which were invaluable in addressing Germany's foreign exchange crisis. By seizing Czechoslovakia, Hitler aimed to increase the food supply under German control and reduce the need for food imports. This, in turn, would free up more foreign exchange to import the raw materials necessary for the Four Year Plan's targets.
Hitler also wanted to seize Czechoslovakia to gain access to its factories, mines, and other crucial resources. Czechoslovakia had a well-developed industrial sector, and its factories were capable of producing weapons and other military equipment. Additionally, the mines in Czechoslovakia provided crucial raw materials, such as iron and steel, that were essential for Germany's armament program.
Furthermore, Hitler's actions in Czechoslovakia were motivated by his ideological goal of unifying all Germans into one state. He believed in the "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". By annexing the Sudetenland, Hitler fulfilled his ambition to unite Germans across borders into a single nation-state.
The seizure of Czechoslovakia was part of Hitler's aggressive foreign policy and expansionist ambitions. By occupying Czechoslovakia, he demonstrated his determination to overturn the remaining military and territorial provisions of the Treaty of Versailles and create a German empire in Europe. The failure of the international community to intervene or punish Hitler for his violations of international treaties emboldened him to continue his aggressive course of action, ultimately leading to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.
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The annexation of Austria was popular with many Germans and Austrians
Austrian politics in the early 20th century was characterised by infighting and political violence. The rise of the Nazis in 1933 further destabilised the situation. Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss transformed Austria from a democratic republic into a right-wing authoritarian regime. The Austrian Nazi Party failed to win any seats in the November 1930 general election, but its popularity grew in Austria after Hitler came to power in Germany. In 1936, John Gunther wrote that Austrian public opinion about German annexation was at least 60% against, but by 1938, under increasing pressure from pro-unification activists, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced that there would be a referendum on a possible union with Germany. Hitler threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. A plebiscite was held on 10 April, resulting in 99.7% approval, though threats and coercion were employed to manipulate the vote.
Hitler's journey through Austria became a triumphal tour that climaxed in Vienna, where around 200,000 German Austrians gathered to hear him declare the completion of the annexing of Austria to form a Greater German Reich. The annexation of Austria demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions, and the failure of the British and the French to take action against him for violating the Versailles Treaty.
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Frequently asked questions
Hitler wanted to seize Austria because he believed that "German-Austria must return to the great German motherland". In his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote that even if a union with Austria were economically unimportant or even harmful, it ought to be brought about because "common blood belongs in a common Reich".
Hitler's initial attempts to seize Austria were unsuccessful. In July 1934, a pro-Nazi group tried to overthrow the Austrian government with Hitler's approval and assistance from German officials. However, Austrian military leaders did not support the coup, and it failed. In 1935, Hitler claimed that Germany did not wish to annex Austria. However, in 1938, Hitler met with Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg and demanded that he appoint members of Austria's Nazi Party to his cabinet and give them full political rights. When von Schuschnigg called for a national plebiscite to decide whether Austria should remain independent or become part of the Third Reich, Hitler decided to invade immediately to prevent the vote. On March 12, 1938, Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria, where they were met by enthusiastic crowds.
Hitler wanted to seize Czechoslovakia primarily due to the foreign exchange crisis Germany was facing by early 1939. Germany urgently needed to seize the gold of the Czechoslovak central bank to continue funding the Four Year Plan, an expensive program to develop synthetic fuel, steel, and other raw materials necessary for armament. Additionally, seizing Czechoslovakia would increase the supply of food under German control, lessening the need to import food and freeing up more foreign exchange to import raw materials.
