On March 12-13, 1938, one of the key events preceding the Second World War occurred - the Anschluss of Austria to Germany. What does it mean? Anschluss of Austria has the following definition - “union”, “accession”. Today, this term is characterized by a negative connotation and is often used as a synonym for the concept of "annexation." Anschluss is called the operation to incorporate Austria into Germany.
History and background. After the war
The accession of Austria to Germany took place in several stages, and certain prerequisites existed for this.
After the defeat in the First World War, the central powers found themselves in a very difficult situation. Germany was deprived of all the colonies, pledged to pay reparations and reduced the armed forces to a minimum. And Austria-Hungary generally disappeared from the political map: the numerous peoples that united this country gained independence. So, there were Hungary and Czechoslovakia. A number of territories passed to Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania. Austria itself declined sharply in the territory and now combined land with a predominantly German population. It is noteworthy that until October 1919 this state was called "German Austria" (Republik Deutschsterreich), and the plans included, in principle, a full integration with Germany.
However, this was not destined to come true: the Entente countries in no way wanted to strengthen or increase the loser of Germany, so they forbade Austria to unite with Germany, which was fixed by the Saint Germain and Versailles treaties. These treaties obliged Austria to maintain its independence, and for any actions regarding sovereignty, refer to the decision of the League of Nations (an organization similar to today's UN). The name of the republic changed to "Austria." So, the history of Austria began, which lasted until the 1938 Anschluss.
First Austrian Republic
Until 1933, Austria was a full-fledged parliamentary republic. Beginning in the 1920s, a difficult confrontation emerged between the center-left and right-wing political forces. The first serious clash between left and right armed groups was the July Uprising of 1927, the reason for which was the justification by the court of right-wing radicals, who killed a lot of people during the shelling of a demonstration of left-wing forces. Only with the help of the police was it possible to restore order, which, however, cost a lot of lives - 89 people were killed (85 of them were representatives of the left forces), more than 600 were injured.
As a result of the global economic crisis of 1929, the country's socio-economic condition deteriorated sharply, which again caused an aggravation of the domestic political crisis. In 1932, leftists — the Social Democrats — won the local elections. Right-wing political forces, fearing to lose the national parliamentary elections, tuned in to forcefully retaining power. This became one of the prerequisites for the Anschluss of Austria by Germany.
Board of Engelbert Dolphus
In March 1933, during the parliamentary crisis, Chancellor Engelbert Dolphus decided to dissolve the then parliament, after which measures were taken that led to the dictatorship of the Patriotic Front - the ultra-right Austro-fascist political party. The elections were canceled, the Communist Party and the NSDP were banned, the death penalty for murders, arson, vandalism was resumed.
At the same time, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, began to gain strength in Germany, one of the tasks of which was the reunification of Austria and Germany.
However, Engelbert Dolphus was extremely negative about the idea of Austria joining Germany. In June 1934, he banned the activities of the NSDP in the country. In addition, Dolphus for some time became close to the leader of the Italian fascists B. Mussolini, who at that time was also not interested in the Anschluss of Austria with Germany and considered the first country, rather, as a sphere of his interests. In May 1934, Dolphus adopted the so-called May Constitution, which was based on the Mussolini regime.
First attempts
On July 25, 1934, 154 soldiers of the 89 Austrian battalion broke into the office and captured Engelbert Dolphus, demanding that he resign in favor of Anton Rintelen, who was sympathetic to the Nazi movement in Germany. Dolphus was seriously injured, but categorically refused to sign the resignation. As a result, he died a few hours later. By evening, the rebels, surrounded by government forces, were forced to surrender. On the same day, Mussolini showed his determination to resist the coup, mobilizing and pushing 5 divisions to the border.
The failure of the first attempt, although Hitler showed that by brute methods at the moment can not solve the problem, but he was far from convincing to abandon the intended goal.
On the way to Anschluss
After the failure of the coup, the German government exerted serious diplomatic pressure on the new Austrian government, led by Kurt von Schuschnigg. At the same time, the special services of Germany sharply intensified their activity, recruiting various representatives of political forces. Trying to smooth out the pressure of Germany for a while and the growth of conflicts with internal nationalist political forces, Schuschnigg in July 1936 went to negotiations with Hitler. The result of the negotiations was the signing of the “Friendly Agreement” on July 11, 1936, according to which Austria was actually obligated to follow the policy of the Third Reich. Germany undertook not to influence the internal affairs of Austria.
In addition, Schuschnigg agreed to declare amnesty for several thousand Nazis, as well as the admission of some to the posts of administrative leadership. Such an agreement did not cause much resonance in Western countries. On the contrary, many believed and argued that such agreements contribute to a speedy resolution of the conflict, and, consequently, to the strengthening of the independence of Austria.
Schushnig himself hoped for an agreement with the countries of the Entente. After all, it was they who, after the war, recorded the independence of Austria. They even refused to create a customs union between Germany and Austria in 1931. However, times have changed.
Agreement with Hitler
With the advent of the National Socialists in Germany, the Versailles Accords were repeatedly violated. The most tangible blow was the Germans' remilitarization of the Rhine region, an increase in the German armed forces, and Italian aggression in Ethiopia. By 1938, more and more politicians appeared in the West who held the idea that conflicts with small countries in Central Europe were not worth a new big war.
At the beginning of 1938, Goering, in an interview with the Austrian State Secretary Schmidt, expressed the opinion that, most likely, the Anschluss of Austria by Germany (the date is already known to you) cannot be avoided, and if the Austrians do not like this wording, then they can interpret this as a “partnership” .
In Vienna, meanwhile, a group of conspirators was arrested, from whom certain papers were later seized, subsequently referred to as “Tuffs papers”. These papers, addressed to Hitler's deputy R. Hess by the Austrian nationalists Leopold and Tufs, reported that there was too little likelihood that any of the leading powers of Europe would step up for Austria, since everyone was immersed in their own social, economic and military crises.
Desperate, Schuschnigg went to Berchtesgaden - Hitler's suburban residence for negotiations. In a conversation, Hitler presented his demands on Austria, adding that none of the world powers would intercede for them in the event of German force intervention.
German controlled
Under the threat of an immediate invasion of German troops, on February 12, 1938, Schuschnigg signed the three-point requirements presented to him, which effectively put the country under German control:
- Seyss-Inquart (held a leading position among the Austrian nationalist groups) assumed the post of Minister of the Interior of Austria. This allowed the Germans to directly influence the security forces and law enforcement agencies.
- Another amnesty was announced for the Nazis.
- The Austrian Nazi party was obliged to join the Patriotic Front.
Not observing any serious support from Great Britain and France, Schuschnigg urged a referendum on March 13, 1938 on how the people would relate to unification with Germany, in order to strengthen their positions on Austrian independence. However, he neglected to convene a meeting with his own government, which was provided for in such cases by the constitution.
Otto Plan
Hitler, fearing the will of the people of Austria in favor of independence, which could seriously interfere with his plans in the future, on March 9, 1938 approved the Otto plan to capture Austria. On March 11, Hitler signed an order to send German troops to this country. On the same day, massive Nazi demonstrations began in Austrian cities, and European newspapers began reporting the closure of the Austro-German border and the pulling together of German troops.
Upon learning of this, Schuschnigg announced a decision to abolish the plebiscite, which, however, did not satisfy Hitler. Another ultimatum for Austria implied the following: the resignation of Schuschnigg and the appointment of Zeiss-Inquart to his post.
Schuschnigg urgently sought help from Mussolini, but there was no answer. Much has changed since 1934: it was more important for Mussolini to maintain friendly relations with Germany.
On the reunification of Austria with the German Empire
Seeing no other way, at 18 o’clock he accepted an ultimatum, hoping to prevent the invasion of German troops, while ordering the army not to resist, should this happen. However, Hitler could not be stopped. The same evening, the Germans “concocted” and sent to the German ambassador in Vienna a fake telegram of the new Chancellor of Austria, in which Seyss-Inquart asked the German government to send troops to ensure order in the country. The "author" himself was informed about this telegram after it was sent. The necessary soil for the implementation of the Otto plan was laid. On the night of March 11 to 12, German forces crossed the Austrian border. The Austrian army, having received the order not to resist, surrendered. Himmler, Schelenberg, and Hess arrived in Vienna at 4 a.m. Former Chancellor Schuschnigg was taken into custody and a few weeks later sent to a concentration camp, where he stayed until May 1945.
In the evening of March 13, Hitler himself arrived in Vienna. On the same day, the law "On the reunification of Austria with the German Empire" was published. From now on, Austria became part of Germany and was referred to as Ostmark.
Hitler himself was extremely encouraged by this victory. Eyewitnesses described that he repeatedly made sensual speeches, claiming that "by the will of God, he went as a young man to Germany and now returns home to the bosom of the Reich." The most terrifying fears of Schuschnigg came true: the history of Austria at this was over. She temporarily disappeared from the historical arena.
Anschluss of Austria and its consequences. Reaction of the West
But, like any historical event, the Anschluss of Austria and Germany had a number of consequences.
The events in the world were accepted as a fait accompli. Great Britain, which at that time was heading towards a policy of appeasement, did not show much desire to stand up for Austria, openly speaking of the absence of any obligations to this country. Italy, represented by its leader Mussolini, did not interfere with the anschluss of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, realizing that it was more important for the country to maintain friendly relations with the Third Reich.
Perhaps the only country whose interests were affected by the disappearance of Austria was France. Concerned about their safety and the future of the Versailles system, French politicians made a number of statements that it was necessary to consolidate efforts with London and try to save the existing security system, however, having not received support in either London or Rome, they could not do that anything significant.
Ostmark
In order to consolidate the success of April 10, 1938, a plebiscite was organized in Germany and Ostmark in support of the already held association. According to German data, more than 99% of the plebiscite participants voted in favor of the Anschluss. For the Austrians, the Anschluss at first brought great hopes, the expectation that people would live better in a large empire. And at first their expectations were partially met - in April 1938, the Austrian economic assistance program was launched. Following this, monetary reform took place. In 1938-1939, economic growth was observed - 13%. Many social problems were solved. So, in January 1938, in Upper Austria, there were about 37 thousand unemployed. A year later, due to the influx of capital from Germany, their number decreased to 11 thousand. However, all this disappeared with the outbreak of war - Austria was used as a resource.
In addition, grief came to those nationalities that, following the fascist ideology, should not have existed in Germany. However, in general, until the fall of the Wehrmacht, the Austrians were quite loyal to the existing regime. Only in April 1945 will Austria be liberated by the allied forces, and it will receive full sovereignty in 1955.
Munich conspiracy
The Anschluss of Austria was a huge victory for Hitler, symbolizing the defeat of the entire Versailles system. Having convinced himself of the inconsistency of the leading powers, their weakness and unwillingness to get involved in a new protracted conflict, Hitler later acted much more decisively, roughly rejecting all possible Versailles restrictions. The clearest evidence is that, not stopping there, the German government immediately began to demand a review of the territorial borders of Czechoslovakia. Already in September of that year, the well-known Munich agreements, which can rightfully be considered a prologue to the Second World War, will be signed by everyone.