Anschluss

When diving into the vaults of World War ll history, many historians usually give more attention to the events that occurred after the proper start of the war, when the allies jumped into action. They give less thought to Hitler's domestic policies and those within German-speaking territories prior to the war. The Anschluss of Austria in March 1938 was a flagrant breach of the Treaty of Versailles and a huge step in Hitler's rise to power. In this explanation, we'll explain the Anschluss, what led up to it, and how Hitler carried out his plans in simple terms.

Anschluss Meaning

The idea of a unified German-speaking people had been popular among Prussian heads of state and certain segments of the population. Austrians had supported this idea, but before World War l, their loyalties lay primarily with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Fig. 1 - The border posts between Germany and Austria were broken down after the Anschluss

With the dissolution of this Empire and Habsburg rule during World War l, citizens became much more amenable to the idea of an Austrian annexation, or Anschluss, some welcoming Hitler with open arms. The Weimar Republic also prioritised unification, even proposing the idea of customs unions among the Germanic territories. The French objected heavily to this idea, effectively burying it.

Anschluss Quick Summary

The Anschluss took place on 12 March 1938. There was little to no resistance. Many folks welcomed the idea of Hitler returning home to his birthplace (along with the troops). This idea seemed to elevate the proceedings in the eyes of many.

Hitler had initially planned to create a German-Austrian union. However, the idea was met with such celebration that he issued a decree declaring Germany's complete annexation of Austria. This meant that Austria was no longer an independent state.

Anschluss of Austria History

To gain a full understanding of the events of the Anschluss, let's look at a quick overview of Austrian history prior to 1938.

History of Austria

Until 1806, Austria was part of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation". From 1815 to 1866, Austria belonged to the "German Confederation" and then to the huge multi-ethnic state of Austria-Hungary. Austria was not part of the German Empire founded in 1871. Austria-Hungary disintegrated after the First World War as a result of territorial reorganisation.

Demand for incorporation into the German Empire

Austrians of German descent demanded a connection to the German Reich. Nevertheless, victorious Allied powers of the First World War wanted to prevent Germany and Austria from becoming more powerful through a merger. Therefore they prohibited the incorporation of Austria in the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint Germain. However, this did not stem the demands for a merger of Germany and Austria between the two world wars.

Fig. 2 - The signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors

Now you know about the historical background of the annexation of Austria. The following section will examine which events were directly connected with the annexation of Austria.

Hitler's takeover of power

On 30 January 1933, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) took power in the German Reich. Following this example, the National Socialist German Workers' Party of Austria, the sister party of the NSDAP in Austria, wanted to seize power. However, Austria's NSDAP was banned in June 1933 because Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss wanted to preserve Austria's independence. Dollfuss maintained close ties to Italy and pursued an increasingly authoritarian, i.e. anti-democratic, domestic policy.

Attempted Coup in Austria

On 25 July 1934, the Austrian National Socialists shot and killed Engelbert Dollfuss during an attempted putsch. Adolf Hitler supported the coup until Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini deployed his troops on the Brenner Pass. At the Brenner, the Austrian-Italian border, the Italian troops intended to secure Austrian independence.

But Mussolini had made Italy internationally unpopular through his policy of territorial expansion. Therefore, in January 1936, Mussolini gave the German ambassador in Rome, Ulrich von Hassell, his blessing for Austria and the German Reich to be linked.

Hitler Anschluss

As a result of this German-Italian rapprochement, Austria increasingly oriented itself towards German domestic and foreign policy. In contrast, the Austrian Chancellor wanted to continue to secure the chances of state independence. Meanwhile, the German Reich under the Nazi regime pressured the Austrian government.

Fig. 2 - The phrase "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer" was used to justify the joining of German people across different countries, especially Austria

The Four-Year Plan

With the four-year plan, Hitler aimed to prepare the economy and army for war within four years. In addition, the staff in the Foreign Office was reassigned, and the German Wehrmacht was founded. Thus, Hitler created the basic prerequisites for forcibly expanding the territory of the German Reich into East-Central Europe. But Hitler's first offensive was against Austria.

Schuschnigg

On 12 February 1938, Hitler met the Austrian Chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, who succeeded Engelbert Dollfuss. Hitler presented Schuschnigg with an agreement: Schuschnigg was to lift the ban on the Austrian National Socialists, involve them in the government, and hand over the Ministry of the Interior – and thus police powers – to them. This agreement formed the basis for a National Socialist takeover of power in Austria.

Referendum in Austria

Schuschnigg wanted to prevent the takeover of power and called for a referendum on 9 March 1938 "For a free and German, independent and social, for a Christian and united Austria!"Only people over the age of 24 were allowed to vote. Schuschnigg wanted to exclude the mostly pro-National Socialist youth and increase the chances of an independent Austria. Since the election was obviously poorly prepared, Hitler was able to force Schuschnigg to withdraw the vote.

Ultimatum to Schuschnigg

Hitler gave Schuschnigg an ultimatum: if Schuschnigg did not resign, the German Wehrmacht would invade Austria. Since Schuschnigg received no support from the European powers at his request, he was forced to resign on 11 March 1938. In his place, the National Socialist Arthur Seyss-Inquart took over government power.

Anschluss of Austria

However, the Austrian Federal President Wilhelm Miklas refused on the same day to appoint Seyss-Inquart as the next Federal Chancellor. Hitler then ordered the German Wehrmacht to invade. One day later, on 12 March 1938, German troops invaded Austria without resistance, breaking the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler had originally planned to form a German-Austrian union. But since the Austrian population cheered him so much, on 13 March 1938, he passed laws for the complete annexation of Austria to Germany.

Anschluss 1938

On 15 March 1938, more than 100,000 people happily welcomed Adolf Hitler, who was born in Vienna, Austria. Seyss-Inquart was now Reich governor of the Ostmark, Austria's new name after its annexation to the German Reich. The Nazi regime implemented the same social and political changes enacted in Germany between 1933 and 1938 within a very short time. The National Socialists raged even worse in the Ostmark than they had in the German Reich.

Fig. 3 - Portrait of Engelbert Dollfuss

Terror of the Nazi regime

From 12 - 22 March, 1,742 arrests were officially recorded in Ostmark and 96 suicides in Vienna. Opponents of the Nazi regime, such as social democrats, communists, and Jews, could only save themselves by fleeing the Nazi terror. Meanwhile, Hitler wanted to expand the German Reich further. In March 1938, he hatched plans to break up Czechoslovakia, triggering the Sudeten Crisis.

Referendum after the annexation of Austria

On 10 April 1938, a referendum on the annexation of Austria was held to prove retrospectively that the majority of the population approved of the annexation. Free and democratic principles were disregarded, and the results are more likely to be attributed to the will of the Nazi regime than to the attitudes of the voters. According to the results of this vote, 99.73 per cent of Austrians and 99.01 per cent of Germans voted for Austria's annexation.

Reactions to the Anschluss

While Germany broke the Treaty of Versailles with the Anschluss, the reactions of other countries varied:

• Britain: most people here were indifferent to the Anschluss. In their minds, Germany and Austria were the same country, so it didn't matter much in the end. The people of Britain were more interested in keeping the peace.
• France: the French were completely preoccupied with current events in their country. The entire government in France had stepped down two days before the Anschluss due to the economic disaster in that country.
• Czechoslovakia: Wary Czechs were fully aware of Hitler's plans for the expansion of territorial lands. They believed they were next and asked for protection from Britain and France under a previous treaty.

Consequences of Anschluss

Following the referendum, the Germans had their sights set on Czechoslovakia and the border region of Sudetenland. The resulting furore over this resulted in appeasement by the British in the Munich Agreement.

The Anschluss and Munich Agreement allowed Germany to gain further territories. Hitler continued by annexing the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and instigated WWII when he invaded Poland in September 1939.

Following the Second World War, Austria eventually returned to its status as a sovereign nation in 1958.