Damon Mcknight
On March 12, 1938, German troops invaded Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, was the Nazi German regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. The German annexation of Austria marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order. The idea of a union between Austria and Germany (Anschluss) had been gaining support since the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg met with Hitler in February 1938 and was forced to agree to several measures favorable to Austrian Nazism. However, Schuschnigg later announced a plebiscite on the question of Anschluss, which Hitler opposed, threatening an invasion. On March 11, 1938, Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums, and the next day, German troops crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 March 1938 |
| Invading country | Germany |
| Invaded country | Austria |
| Invading leader | Adolf Hitler |
| Invaded country leader | Kurt von Schuschnigg |
| Reason for invasion | Annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany |
| Number of invading troops | 25,000 |
| Invading troops greeted by | Cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers |
| Public opinion in invaded country | Mixed, with some support for invasion |
| Result | Austria became part of Nazi Germany until the end of World War II |
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What You'll Learn
Hitler's pursuit of aggressive foreign policy
The German invasion of Austria in March 1938, known as the Anschluss, was the culmination of Hitler's pursuit of an aggressive foreign policy. This invasion was the first act of territorial aggression and expansion by Nazi Germany, marking a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.
Hitler's aggressive foreign policy was driven by his ideology of creating a Greater Germany that would unite all Germans into one nation-state. This idea had been proposed as early as the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. However, the Treaty of Saint Germain and the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 forbade the unification of Austria and Germany.
In the lead-up to the invasion, Hitler pursued a series of aggressive actions. In February 1938, he invited Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to Germany and forced him to agree to terms favourable to Austrian Nazis, including giving them a free hand in the country. Schuschnigg, however, later announced a plebiscite on the question of unification, which Hitler opposed. Hitler threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign, which he did on March 11, 1938, after being presented with a series of ultimatums by Hitler.
The invasion of Austria was just the beginning of Hitler's expansionist agenda. Just six months later, Nazi Germany manufactured a crisis in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, which was eventually ceded to them by world leaders. In March 1939, they broke this agreement by occupying Prague, and in September 1939, they invaded Poland, marking the start of World War II.
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Austrian chancellor's failed resistance
The German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, took place over three days in March 1938. This event was the Nazi German regime’s first act of territorial aggression and expansion. Even though the Nazi threat to Austria had been clear for years, Austrian chancellors failed to resist the invasion.
In February 1938, Hitler invited the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis free rein. Schuschnigg later repudiated the agreement and announced a plebiscite on the question of Anschluss. However, he was bullied into cancelling the plebiscite and resigned, instructing the Austrian Army not to resist the Germans.
On March 11, Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums: Chancellor Schuschnigg must call off the plebiscite, and Austrian president Wilhelm Miklas must appoint Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. If these demands were not met, the German military would invade Austria. Schuschnigg gave in and announced his resignation in the face of German pressure. That evening, he gave a radio address, pleading with Austrian forces not to resist a German “advance” into the country.
The next day, on March 12, German troops marched into Austria, and enthusiastic crowds met them. On March 13, the Anschluss was proclaimed, and Austria became a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II. The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.
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Austria's annexation into Nazi Germany
In the 1930s, Nazi Germany pursued an aggressive foreign policy, which eventually brought millions of Jewish people under German control. The idea of the Anschluss (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "Greater Germany") arose after the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. The idea gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The new Republic of German-Austria attempted to unite with Germany, but the 1919 Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles forbade the union and the continued use of the name "German-Austria". The treaties also stripped Austria of some of its territories.
In the 1930s, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite the nation with Germany. Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg learned of the conspiracy and met with Hitler in an attempt to reassert his country's independence. However, he was pressured into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss once and for all. On March 11, Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums, including that Schuschnigg must call off the plebiscite and that Austrian president Wilhelm Miklas must appoint Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new chancellor. If these demands were not met, the German military would invade Austria. Schuschnigg gave in to Hitler's demands and resigned on March 11.
On March 12, German troops, accompanied by Hitler, crossed the border into Austria. They were met by enthusiastic crowds of Austrians, who gave them Nazi salutes, flowers, and cheers. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the Anschluss was officially proclaimed. Austria existed as a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II, when the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void and reestablished an independent Austria.
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The public's antisemitic response
Austria's annexation by Germany in March 1938 was the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. The annexation, known as the Anschluss, was widely popular in both Germany and Austria. The German troops entering Austria received the enthusiastic support of most of the Austrian population. However, this enthusiasm was accompanied by a surge in public violence against Austrian Jews.
Antisemitism against Austrian Jews had a long history in Austria, and mass antisemitic violence took place immediately after German troops crossed the Austrian border. A British correspondent reported that 100,000 Viennese rampaged through the Jewish quarter, shouting, "Death to the Jews!". In the wealthy district of Währing, Jewish women were forced to put on their fur coats and scrub the streets as officials urinated on them, to the cheers of Austrian and German onlookers.
The process of "Aryanization" began immediately, with about 1,700 motor vehicles seized from their Jewish owners between 11 March and 10 August 1938. The government also seized 44,000 apartments owned by Jews until May 1939. Many Jews were also dispossessed of their shops and apartments, which were then occupied by those who had robbed them, with the assistance of the SA and fanatics.
The Anti-Romanyism sentiment of Nazi Germany was also implemented in annexed Austria. Between 1938 and 1939, the Nazis arrested around 2,000 Gypsy men and sent them to Dachau, and 1,000 Gypsy women were sent to Ravensbrück. In October 1939, all Austrian Gypsies were required to register themselves, and the Nazis carried out racial examinations against the Gypsy population.
The Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogroms in November 1938 were particularly brutal in Austria. Most synagogues in Vienna were destroyed in full view of fire departments and the public, and Jewish businesses were vandalized and ransacked. Thousands of Jews were arrested and deported to concentration camps. By October 1942, only about 2,000 to 5,000 Jews remained in Austria, with the rest having emigrated or gone into hiding. The total number of Austrian Jews murdered during the Holocaust is about 65,500 people, 62,000 of whom are known by name.
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The Allied Powers' reversal of the Anschluss
The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, took place in March 1938. It marked the Nazi regime's first act of territorial aggression and expansion. The Allied Powers' reversal of the Anschluss came about at the end of World War II in 1945.
The Annexation of Austria
On March 11, 1938, Hitler presented the Austrian government with a series of ultimatums, including the demand that Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg cancel the planned plebiscite on Austrian independence and that Austrian President Wilhelm Miklas appoint Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a Nazi, as the new chancellor. Under pressure, Schuschnigg resigned and instructed Austrian forces not to resist a German invasion. On March 12, German troops entered Austria, and Hitler appointed a new Nazi government. The annexation was proclaimed on March 13, 1938, and Austria became a federal state of Germany.
Reversal of the Anschluss
The reversal of the Anschluss marked a return to the pre-war international order and the restoration of Austrian independence, as stipulated by the peace treaties following World War I.
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Frequently asked questions
The invasion of Austria by Germany in March 1938 was the first act of territorial aggression by Nazi Germany, which was led by Adolf Hitler. The invasion, known as the Anschluss, was a significant breach of the post-World War I international order.
Anschluss is a German word that means "connection" or "joining". It refers to the political union of Austria and Germany.
The Anschluss resulted in an outburst of public violence against Austria's Jewish population. There was also a wave of antisemitism by Austrian Nazis, who robbed Jews and smashed their furniture. Many Jews tried to flee, while others committed suicide.
In September 1938, world leaders from Italy, France, and Great Britain met with Hitler to discuss the Nazi threat. They appeased Hitler by ceding the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany on the condition that the rest of Czechoslovakia was off-limits. However, in March 1939, Nazi Germany broke this agreement and occupied the Czech lands, including Prague.
