ANSCHLUSS: ANTECEDENTS, ANNEXATION AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

Anschluss is the term used to describe the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany just before the start of World War II. The meaning of this German word is "union" or "reunion".

After the end of the First World War, the victors imposed harsh sanctions on the defeated, including Germany, as compensation for the damage of the conflict. Among these were the loss of territory and the creation of new borders.

Ballot to vote in the annexation plebiscite. The question was, do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Empire that was enacted on March 13, 1938 and do you vote for the party of our leader, Adolf Hitler? - Source: Selbstgescannt (Benutzer: Zumbo), GNU-FDL;

Indeed, one of the ideological bases of the Nazis was the reunification of all Germanic peoples under German power, including Austria. In this country, on the other hand, various fascist and pro-Nazi parties had appeared that were fighting from the inside for the annexation to Germany.

Despite attempts by some Austrian leaders to prevent it, on March 12, 1938 Austria became a province of the Third Reich. England and France did not react to the fait accompli, allowing Hitler to seize not only that country, but Czechoslovakia soon after.

Background

The Treaty of Versailles, ratified in 1919, not only marked the payment of financial compensation by those defeated in the First World War. It also established what should be the geographical limits of Germany, one of the nations that had started the conflict.

In this area, apart from defining the boundaries with other neighbors, the agreement stated that the border with Austria should be the one that existed before the Great War, with annexations after August 3, 1914 being canceled.

The motive for these articles was to curb German expansionism, fueled by the emergence of the concept of Greater Germany in the 19th century. He longed for the unification of all the territories of Germanic culture, that is, mainly parts of Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria.

According to historians, the harshness of the Treaty of Versailles was one of the reasons for the arrival of the National Socialist Party to power. The Nazis, in addition to denying the payment of war indemnities, pursued the achievement of that Greater Germany.

Political situation in Austria

Austria had been another of the great losers in the First World War. The situation after the conflict was very bad and, as in Germany, a Nazi party had emerged that advocated the unification of both territories. The economic crisis, worsened after the Crac of 29, had caused its popularity to grow.

On the other hand, there were also socialist parties that sought to seize power. In September 1931, one of them, the Christian Socialist, staged an armed rebellion, although without success.

The April 1932 elections were won by the Nazis, although an alliance of other parties prevented them from coming to power. The Nazis began a terrorist campaign, straining the situation.

The country's chancellor, Dollfuss, gave a kind of self-coup in 1933. Among the measures he took was the outlawing of the Nazis and the Communists and began to rule by decree. Their program was very similar to that of the National Socialists, but without defending the union with Germany.

Nazi rebellion

The Austrian Nazis had continued to strengthen themselves and demanded a more Germanic policy. When they were ready, they organized a revolt on July 25, 1934, during which Chancellor Dollfuss was assassinated. However, the coup ended up failing.

Reactions to this uprising were swift. Thus, the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, ideologically very close to Dollfuss, ordered the mobilization of his troops on the border with Austria. In addition, he threatened to militarily support the successors of the late foreign minister.

German pressure on Austria

Kurt Schuschnigg was appointed the country's new chancellor. His intention was to continue the policies of his predecessor, maintaining a fascist dictatorship, but without accepting those who advocated annexation to Germany. This position obtained the support, even, of many socialists, who considered it the lesser evil, The Austrian Nazis, again, resorted to terrorism. Between August 1934 and March 1918, an estimated 800 people were murdered.

The new chancellor failed to calm the country. Civil war with the Nazis, who received arms from Germany, seemed inevitable. On February 12, 1938, at the height of Nazi terrorism, Schuschnigg was summoned by Hitler to hold a meeting.

The German leader imposed a series of conditions on him in exchange for calming down his Austrian followers. Among the most prominent was the demand that the Nazis enter the government, a system of collaboration between the armies of both countries and the incorporation of Austria into the German customs area.

Faced with Hitler's threats, Kurt Schuschnigg accepted amnesty for the arrested Austrian Nazis. Likewise, it gave them control of the Ministry of Police. However, both measures were insufficient for the National Socialists of that country.

Annexation

Tension in Austria increased from then on. The Austrian Nazis asked Hitler to pressure Chancellor Schuschnigg to allow the Anschluss. He asked England and France for help, receiving nothing but good words.

Call for a referendum

Faced with increasing instability, Schuschnigg devised a plan to avoid losing power to the Nazis. Thus, he decided to call a referendum with a question that obviated the possible reunification with Germany. In this way, the voter had to vote if he wanted to maintain a "united, Christian, social, independent, German and free Austria."

Although the Austrian chancellor tried to keep his intention secret, the Nazis found out and communicated it to Berlin. Given this, Schuschnigg advanced the voting to March 9, 1938, Hitler, upon being informed of Schuschnigg's movement, gave order to the Austrian Nazis to avoid the referendum. In addition, the German leader sent a representative to Vienna to demand that the plebiscite be called off if it did not include the option of unification.

The threat of invasion was very present and more so when the announcement came from England that it would not intervene as long as the conflict was limited to Austria and Germany.

Cancellation of votes

Across the country, the Austrian Nazis launched heavy attacks on government agencies. Germany, for its part, mobilized its troops on the border and began planning a possible invasion.

Hitler wrote to the Austrian government issuing a new ultimatum: if the referendum was not annulled, Germany would invade the country.

On March 11, Schuschnigg had to agree to annul the referendum, though not the Austrian Nazis' request that he call another, three weeks later, with the option of annexation among the questions.

Despite this, the Germans continued to press. That same day, Göring demanded the resignation of the entire Austrian government. Although Schuschnigg tried to resist, he submitted his resignation to the country's president. According to experts, this resignation stopped an invasion that had already been decided.

Appointment of a Nazi Chancellor

Following Schuschnigg's resignation, the Germans demanded that a member of the Austrian National Socialist Party be appointed as Chancellor. Wilhelm Miklas, President of Austria, was resisting this appointment, despite the fact that the Nazis had occupied the streets of Vienna and public buildings.

Hitler ordered the troops to be mobilized again to begin the invasion. Furthermore, Mussolini announced that he would not intervene, which left Miklas without the only foreign ally he maintained.

At midnight on March 11, the Austrian president relented and appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Nazi leader in the country, as Chancellor. He asked Hitler to stop his invasion plans, but without success.

German intervention

The German soldiers finally entered Austrian territory, being enthusiastically received by a large part of the population.

The new government of the country was sworn in on March 12 in the morning. Again, the newly appointed chancellor, despite his Nazi ideology, petitioned Hitler to stop the invasion. Faced with the refusal, he asked that some Austrian units be allowed to enter Germany and, thus, offer the appearance that it was a voluntary unification.

A few hours later, at noon, the new Austrian authorities issued a decree ratifying the annexation. President Miklas resigned and appointed Chancellor Seyss-Inquart as his provisional replacement. Before resigning, he refused to sign the annexation decree.

On the same day the 12th, Adolf Hitler crossed the Austrian border, visiting, first of all, his birth town, Braunau am Inn. Across the country, according to the chronicles, he was enthusiastically received by the population, including in the capital, Vienna.

Referendum on the Anschluss

Austria, after the invasion, became part of Germany, as one more province. Seyb-Inquart was appointed governor general, as the post of Chancellor was eliminated.

Hitler tried to legitimize the annexation and called a referendum for April 10, 1938. The plebiscite was a success for his interests, since the yes to annexation won with 99.73% of the votes.

According to most historians, the voting was not rigged, although the electoral process had been very irregular.

For example, voters had to fill out their ballot in front of SS officials, so they could not keep their choice secret. The very design of the ballot was biased, with a huge circle for "yes" and a very small one for "no."

On the other hand, those who opposed annexation were unable to carry out any kind of campaign. Right after the occupation, the Germans arrested nearly 70,000 people, most of them Jews, Socialists, and Communists, in addition to many other political leaders.

Experts point out that 400,000 people were excluded from the electoral roll, 10% of the population.

Consequences

The pre-war situation in Europe was getting worse at times. However, the two great continental powers, Great Britain and France, only rejected annexation through diplomacy, without making any real move.

That paralysis encouraged Hitler to take his next step: annexing the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia. The French and British themselves signed with the Nazi leader the so-called Munich Agreement, with which they recognized the German right to keep that territory.

Soon after, Germany proceeded to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia. The Allied reaction had to wait until the German invasion of Poland in 1939, beginning the Second World War.

Situation in Austria

Although the opponents of Nazism tried to fight inside Austria, the majority of the population accepted the Anschluss, many even enthusiastically. The heads of the Catholic and Protestant Churches asked that there be no resistance to the nazification of the country.

Austria, as noted above, ceased to be an independent country and became a new German province.

Another consequence was the anti-Semitism that began to take hold from the moment of annexation. At first, Jewish communities were discriminated against, with laws enacted to strip them of nearly all rights. Later, many of them were killed during the Holocaust.

References

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2. Come on, Javier. Anschluss or the day Hitler buried the Treaty of Versailles. Obtained fromvanaguardia.com
3. Escuelapedia. Anschluss. Obtained from schoolpedia.com
4. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Anschluss. Retrieved from ushmm.org
5. ER Services. Lebensraum and Anschluss. Retrieved from courses.lumenlearning.com
6. History.com Editors. Germany annexes Austria. Retrieved from history.com
7. New World Encyclopedia. Anschluss. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org
8. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Anschluss. Retrieved from britannica.com