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Austria THE ANSCHLUSS AND WORLD WAR II
Absorption of Austria into the Third Reich
Most Austrian proponents of the Anschluss had foreseen a
gradual coordination and merger of the two German states that
would preserve some semblance of Austrian identity. But,
influenced by the tumultuous welcome he received on his arrival,
Hitler made an impromptu decision for quick and total absorption
of Austria into the Third Reich.
The Anschluss violated various international agreements, but
the European powers offered only perfunctory opposition. Italy
had acquiesced to the invasion beforehand, and in return Hitler
later agreed to allow Italy to retain the South Tirol despite his
aggressive policies elsewhere to bring all German populations
into the Third Reich. Britain was following a policy of
appeasement in 1938 and was unwilling to risk war over Austria's
independence, while France, traditionally the strongest foe of
German unification, was incapable of unilateral military action.
To provide a legal facade for the Anschluss, Hitler arranged
a plebiscite for April 10, 1938. The Nazis portrayed the
plebiscite as a vote on pan-Germanism and claimed a 99.7 percent
vote in favor of the Anschluss. Although the outcome was
undoubtedly influenced by Nazi intimidation, the Anschluss
enjoyed broad popular support. Nevertheless, the positive vote
reflected the Austrians' desire for change far more than it did
widespread support for Hitler and Nazism. Unification offered a
way out of the political turmoil of the First Republic, and ties
with the larger German economy promised economic revitalization.
Many Austrians probably also harbored unrealistic notions of
Austria's position within the Third Reich, expecting an
arrangement similar to the Dual Monarchy in which Austria and
Germany would be equal partners. And the full dimensions of Nazi
barbarism were not yet apparent. Underlying these factors,
however, was the widespread appeal of pan-Germanism that cut
across political lines. Austrians had traditionally thought of
themselves as Germans, and the Austrian nationalism cultivated by
Dollfuss and Schuschnigg had not taken root. Although the SDAP
had moderated its long-standing support for unification when
Hitler came to power in Germany, Karl Renner urged a yes vote in
the Nazi-organized plebiscite. Once unification was a fact, other
Socialist leaders felt that the Nazi regime was not sufficient
reason to reject the fulfillment of what they viewed as a
progressive goal of German nationalism.
Hitler moved quickly to suppress what little independent
identity and national unity Austria had. The name Austria
was banned, provinces were freed of central administration from
Vienna, and provincial loyalty and identification were
cultivated. In addition, Austrian Nazis and Nazi sympathizers who
might have become effective national leaders were transferred to
relatively unimportant jobs in the administration of the Third
Reich or, after World War II began, were sent to administer the
occupied territories. Thus, a disproportionate number of
Austrians came to be in charge of the bureaucracy overseeing the
implementation of the Nazis' extermination of the Jews and other
peoples and groups deemed undesirable.
Data as of December 1993
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