Anschluss
On the 12th of March 1938, the German Army crossed into Austria without firing a single shot. This event marked the end of Austrian independence and the beginning of its forced union with Nazi Germany. The idea of uniting all Germans had been debated since the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Austria sought to lead this unification under the Habsburg monarchy, but Prussia rejected that role. In 1866, the Austro-Prussian War settled the dispute by excluding Austria from the new German state. Otto von Bismarck formed the North German Confederation instead, which later became the German Empire in 1871. This empire excluded Austria and ensured a Protestant majority within its borders. The exclusion left many Austrian pan-Germans feeling disconnected from their own history. They wore symbols banned in schools and advocated for joining Germany again. By 1918, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire created a power vacuum. The new Republic of German-Austria tried to unite with Germany immediately after World War I. However, the Treaty of Saint Germain forbade such a union. It also stripped Austria of territories like the Sudetenland. Economic crisis followed quickly as the country lost most of its imperial lands. Support for unification grew among political leftists and centrists who believed Austria was not viable alone. Social Democrat leader Otto Bauer served as Foreign Minister from November 1918 to July 1919. He championed the cause of economic survival through union.
The Great Depression hit Austria hard during the 1920s and early 1930s. High unemployment rates destabilized commerce and industry across the nation. Germany had already begun investing capital into Austrian businesses by that decade. By 1937, rapid rearmament in Berlin increased interest in annexing Austria. The country possessed rich raw materials including magnesium and iron ore mines at Erzberg. It held gold reserves and foreign currency worth hundreds of millions. Hundreds of idle factories sat ready for production while skilled workers remained unemployed. Hitler viewed these resources as essential for his Four Year Plan. Hermann Göring pushed for Anschluss to secure steel and other materials needed for German military expansion. The plan required huge investments in synthetic oil programs that went wildly over budget. Göring became the loudest voice calling for annexation even if it risked losing Italy as an ally. Economic problems caused Germany to fall behind in the arms race with Britain and France. Hitler stated in a secret meeting on the 5th of November 1937 that war was necessary to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia. Their economies would be plundered to give Germany the lead in the arms race. The Four Year Plan failed completely despite massive spending on steel works and chemical production. Without access to Austrian resources, Germany could not meet its own targets. This economic desperation drove Nazi policy toward coercion rather than diplomacy.
Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by Austrian Nazis during a failed coup on the 25th of July 1934. Leading Austrian Nazis fled to Germany after the defeat but continued their efforts from there. Terrorist attacks against government institutions caused 164 deaths and 636 injuries between 1933 and 1938. Kurt Schuschnigg succeeded Dollfuss and followed a similar political course. He used police to suppress Nazi supporters and held them in internment camps. In summer 1936, Schuschnigg told Mussolini that his country had to agree with Germany. On the 11th of July 1936 he signed an agreement releasing imprisoned Nazis. Germany promised to respect Austrian sovereignty in return. Members of the National Opposition entered the cabinet under these terms. The pro-German Austrian Nazis grew stronger while terrorist attacks ceased temporarily. Hitler did not accept this compromise and demanded further concessions. On the 12th of February 1938, Schuschnigg met Hitler at Berchtesgaden under threat of invasion. Hitler presented demands including appointing Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Minister of Public Security. Seyss-Inquart received full unlimited control over the police force. Browbeaten and threatened, Schuschnigg agreed to implement these changes immediately. The German Führer underestimated opposition within Austria despite clear warnings from journalists abroad.
On the 9th of March 1938, Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum to be held on the 13th of March. He expected to win a clear majority against union with Germany. The Nazis refused and demanded the appointment of a new cabinet under Seyss-Inquart. Under threat of military occupation, Schuschnigg resigned on the evening of the 11th of March. President Wilhelm Miklas refused to appoint Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor initially. At 8:45 pm, Hitler ordered the invasion to commence at dawn regardless. A forged telegram was sent in Seyss-Inquart's name asking for German troops before he became Chancellor. Seyss-Inquart was installed after midnight when Miklas resigned himself to the inevitable. On the morning of the 12th of March 1938, the 8th Army crossed into Austria without resistance. The Austrian Bundesheer had been ordered not to fight by their government. Troops were greeted by cheering crowds waving Nazi flags and flowers. Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen recorded that coordination among units was poor yet it mattered little because no shots were fired. Hitler arrived at Linz where 250,000 Austrians gathered to meet him. His schoolboy dream of a greater Germany had finally come true.
Within days of the 12th of March, authorities arrested 70,000 people including Social Democrats and Communists. The disused northwest railway station in Vienna became a makeshift concentration camp. Jewish men and women were forced to wash pro-independence slogans from city pavements. Jewish actresses from the Theater in der Josefstadt cleaned toilets under SA supervision. Over 6,000 Jews were arrested overnight and most deported to Dachau concentration camp. The Nuremberg Laws applied in Austria starting May 1938 with additional antisemitic decrees. Jews lost freedoms gradually and were blocked from almost all professions. They were shut out of schools and universities while forced to wear yellow badges from September 1941. By end of 1941, 130,000 Jews had left Vienna with 30,000 going to the United States. Those who stayed eventually became victims of the Holocaust. Of more than 65,000 Viennese Jews deported to camps fewer than 2,000 survived. Romani people faced similar persecution beginning in 1938 when around 2,000 men were sent to Dachau. Another 1,000 Romani women went to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Nazi racial research claimed that 90% of Romani were of mixed ancestry before treating them like Jews.
No military confrontation took place despite violations of the Treaty of Versailles. France and Great Britain remained at peace even though they strongly opposed annexation. The loudest verbal protest came from Mexico where delegate Isidro Fabela denounced the action. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain spoke about the Austrian situation on the 14th of March. He noted that nothing could have stopped what happened unless countries used force. Chamberlain informed his Foreign Policy Committee that policy would not change due to Anschluss. On the 18th of March 1938, Germany communicated inclusion of Austria to the League of Nations Secretary General. The next day in Geneva, Mexico voiced an energetic protest stronger than European nations. The Vatican condemned Nazism in its newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and forbade Catholics from supporting Anschluss. Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli ordered Innitzer to retract his earlier statement supporting Hitler. Vatican Radio broadcast strong denunciations while the Roman Catholic Archdiocese issued appeals for independence one day before occupation. Despite these protests, no nation intervened militarily or economically to stop the takeover.
From 1949 to 1988 many Austrians sought comfort in being called the first victim of Nazis. Austria did not undergo thorough denazification like Germany after World War II. Lacking outside pressure for reform factions advanced views that Anschluss was only annexation at bayonet point. This victim theory played essential roles in negotiations for the Austrian State Treaty with Soviets. The treaty alongside subsequent neutrality marked milestones for solidifying independent national identity over decades. Political discussions about Nazi-era involvement were largely avoided until the 1980s. One catalyst arose in 1965 when professor Taras Borodajkewycz made antisemitic remarks following riots. It was not until the Waldheim affair started serious discussions about Austria's past on a large scale. Kurt Waldheim won the 1986 presidential election despite accusations of Nazi party membership. Another factor was rise of Jörg Haider and Freedom Party combining pan-German right with free-market liberalism since 1955. Haider openly used nationalist rhetoric calling members of Waffen-SS men of honor. His coalition partner Wolfgang Schüssel reiterated first victim theory during interviews in 2000. In 1998 Austria formed an Historikerkommission to review role in Nazi expropriation of Jewish property. Noted Holocaust historian Raul Hilberg refused participation citing relative inattention by World Jewish Congress regarding Swiss bank holdings.
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Common questions
When did the German Army cross into Austria during the Anschluss?
The German Army crossed into Austria on the 12th of March 1938 without firing a single shot. This event marked the end of Austrian independence and the beginning of its forced union with Nazi Germany.
Who was the Chancellor of Austria before the Anschluss in 1938?
Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg served as the leader of Austria until he resigned under threat of invasion on the evening of the 11th of March 1938. He had previously met Hitler at Berchtesgaden where he agreed to appoint Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Minister of Public Security.
What economic resources did Germany seek from Austria for the Four Year Plan?
Germany sought rich raw materials including magnesium and iron ore mines at Erzberg along with gold reserves and foreign currency worth hundreds of millions. These assets were essential for Hermann Göring's steel programs and Hitler's military expansion goals.
How many Jews were deported to Dachau concentration camp after the Anschluss?
Over 6,000 Jews were arrested overnight following the annexation and most were subsequently deported to Dachau concentration camp. By the end of 1941, more than 65,000 Viennese Jews had been deported to camps while fewer than 2,000 survived.
Which country issued the loudest verbal protest against the Anschluss internationally?
Mexico issued the loudest verbal protest when delegate Isidro Fabela denounced the action before the League of Nations. The Vatican also condemned Nazism in its newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and forbade Catholics from supporting the union.