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The annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland by Nazi Germany was a significant event in the lead-up to World War II. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria, and later that year, it also annexed the Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia with a significant German-speaking population. This was a result of the Munich Agreement, where British and French leaders, aiming to avoid war, conceded to Hitler's demands. Some Austrians welcomed the annexation, but it also spelled doom for the country's Jewish population. The annexation of the Sudetenland was a source of contention due to its German majority and was part of Hitler's nationalistic plan to unite all German people under Nazi rule. These annexations were critical steps in Hitler's expansionist agenda and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of World War II.
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's expansionist policies
Hitler's expansionism began with the annexation of Austria in 1938, known as the "Anschluss". This was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany and a significant breach of the post-World War I international order. Austria was a target for German investment during the 1920s and 1930s due to its rich resources and labour. By 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria. The annexation was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, with many Austrians participating in the Nazification of their country. However, it also led to an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population.
The annexation of Austria was followed by Hitler's targeting of Czechoslovakia, which had a significant ethnic German population in the Sudetenland region. In early 1938, Hitler threatened to unleash a European war unless the Sudetenland was surrendered to Germany. This led to the Munich Agreement in September 1938, where the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to the German annexation of the Sudetenland in exchange for a pledge of peace from Hitler. This was another example of the international community's appeasement of Hitler's expansionist policies.
Hitler's aggressive foreign policy continued with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, marking the start of World War II. His expansionist policies brought millions of Jewish people under German control and resulted in the death of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
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Austria's economic troubles
Austria experienced significant economic troubles in the 1920s and 1930s. In the early 1920s, the country suffered from hyperinflation, which threatened financial collapse in 1922. In October 1922, the Austrian chancellor Ignaz Seipel secured a large loan through the League of Nations, which helped stabilise Austrian finances. The country's budget was balanced by March 1926, and international financial supervision was withdrawn.
However, Austria continued to face economic challenges. In 1929, the country's most influential banking house, the Creditanstalt, went bankrupt, bringing Austria close to financial disaster. This crisis was contained, but Austria continued to face high unemployment and unstable commerce and industry due to the worldwide Great Depression.
In the mid-1930s, Austria's economic troubles were further exacerbated by the rise of the Nazis in neighbouring Germany. In 1933, the Austrian government withdrew from economic ties with Germany, which had been a source of investment capital during the 1920s. By 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria, which was rich in raw materials and labour.
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria and annexed the country for the Third Reich. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order and was the first act of territorial expansion by Nazi Germany. The Republic of Austria ceased to exist as an independent state, and its economy was integrated with that of Germany.
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German nationalist sentiment
The unification of Austria and Germany was a long-standing goal of German nationalists, including Hitler and his supporters. They saw the annexation of Austria as a way to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe and challenge the existing international order. By the mid-1930s, with the rise of Nazi influence in Germany, this nationalist sentiment intensified. The Nazis pursued an aggressive foreign policy, remilitarizing the Rhineland and targeting Czechoslovakia after annexing Austria.
Austria, like Germany, had experienced economic turmoil during the Great Depression, with high unemployment and unstable commerce and industry. It was a target for German investment capital during the 1920s, and by 1937, German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria due to its rich resources and labour force. Austria's natural resources, skilled workers, idle factories, and potential hydroelectric resources made it an attractive target for German expansion.
The annexation of the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population, was also driven by German nationalist sentiment. Nazi Germany manufactured a crisis in the Sudetenland, demanding its annexation based on Pan-Germanist ideas. They argued that the Sudeten Germans living in Czechoslovakia should be united with the German Reich. This crisis led to the Munich Agreement in 1938, where British and French leaders ceded the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany, allowing them to occupy the region without military resistance.
The annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland was met with widespread support in Germany and, to a certain extent, in Austria as well. The idea of national self-determination and the unification of German-speaking peoples resonated with many Germans and Austrians, who saw it as a correction of the perceived injustices of the post-World War I borders. However, it also led to an outbreak of public violence against Jewish populations in both Austria and the Sudetenland, as Nazi ideology promoted racial dogmatism alongside nationalist sentiments.
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International appeasement
The annexation of Austria by Germany, known as the Anschluss, was a significant breach of the post-World War I international order. The peace treaties that ended World War I expressly forbade Germany and Austria from uniting. European leaders worried that a united Germany and Austria would be too powerful.
Hitler's first objective was the annexation of Austria, which he had written about in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf. He believed that "German-Austria must return to the great German motherland". By 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria, which was rich in raw materials and labour. In February 1938, Hitler bullied Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg into accepting far-reaching demands during an interview at Berchtesgaden. Schuschnigg, fearing that Hitler intended to take over Austria, called for a national plebiscite to decide whether Austria should remain independent or become part of the Third Reich. Hitler decided to invade Austria to prevent the vote from taking place. On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria, and the country's parliament formally approved the annexation.
The Anschluss was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion, and it demonstrated their disdain for the post-World War I European order. It was widely popular in both Germany and Austria, with 99.75% of Austrian voters supporting a union in a plebiscite held under the supervision of the German army. The other European powers did not punish Germany for violating international treaties, and their acceptance of the Anschluss was a significant act of international appeasement. It allowed Hitler to continue his expansionist policies unchecked, and he soon targeted Czechoslovakia, provoking an international crisis that led to the Munich Agreement in September 1938, giving Germany control of the Sudetenland.
The Sudeten crisis in early 1938 led to the Munich Agreement, after which Germany occupied the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. World leaders from Italy, France, and Great Britain met with Hitler in Munich and appeased him by ceding the region on the condition that the rest of Czechoslovakia remained off-limits. However, in March 1939, Germany broke this agreement and occupied the Czech lands, including Prague. This act of aggression and expansion ultimately led to the start of World War II when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
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The Sudeten crisis
The Sudetenland was predominantly inhabited by ethnic Germans, who had been placed there after the break-up of empires following World War I. These Sudeten Germans, led by Konrad Henlein, complained of discrimination by the Czech government. Hitler used this pretext, claiming that the Reich should intervene to rescue the Germans in Czechoslovakia. Local Nazis stirred up trouble for the Czech authorities, similar to the tactics used in Austria. This caused concern for Czechoslovakia's leader, Edward Benes, who sought assurances from France, Britain, and the Soviet Union for protection against German aggression.
Britain's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain played a diplomatic role in the crisis, meeting with Hitler twice in September 1938. Chamberlain initially agreed to cede the German-speaking parts of the Sudetenland to Germany, believing it would prevent war. However, Hitler then demanded immediate possession of the entire Sudetenland, not just the German-speaking areas. Chamberlain returned to Britain to prepare for war, but Hitler agreed to another peace conference with Britain, France, and Italy, resulting in the Munich Agreement.
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Frequently asked questions
Germany was allowed to annex Austria because some Allied leaders believed that if Hitler was allowed to take Austria, he would be satisfied and peace would occur. Additionally, some Allied leaders were sympathetic to Hitler’s goal of uniting German-speaking regions under German control. The Allied leaders were also concerned that any confrontation with Hitler could lead to the start of World War II, which they were not prepared to deal with in the 1930s.
The Sudetenland was a region in northwestern Czechoslovakia that had a predominantly German-speaking population.
Germany wanted to annex the Sudetenland as part of Hitler's nationalistic plan to unite all German people under the Nazi government.
