On March 13, 1938, Austria was forcibly annexed to Nazi Germany. This event, known as the “Anschluss” (from the German Anschluss – joining, annexation), demonstrated the contempt of the Nazis for the European order that was formed after the First World War, and became the first act of territorial expansion of Nazi Germany.
The idea of uniting most of the lands inhabited by Germans existed since the beginning of the 19th century. To some extent, it was realized by the entry of the Austrian Empire and most of the German states into the German Union, created by the decision of the Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815. The Frankfurt Constitution (1849) provided for the creation of a single German Empire headed by the Prussian king; however, this document did not enter into force. Among the demands of the Pan-Germanic Union created in 1891 was the unification of Austria-Hungary with the German Empire.
The Provisional Constitution of German Austria, adopted by the National Assembly after the defeat in the First World War and the collapse of the empire, declared Austria a part of the German Republic (1918). This idea was confirmed by normative legal acts of subsequent years: the Berlin Protocol of the German and Austrian governments, the provisions of the Weimar Constitution regarding the Austrian representation in the German parliament, plebiscites in Salzburg and Tyrol. However, the Versailles and Saint-Germain Peace Treaties of 1919 and the Geneva Protocol of 1922 prohibited the unification of Germany and Austria, even in the form of an economic union. A large part of the society of both countries perceived this ban as a violation of the right to self-determination. This caused a number of political forces to put forward the slogan of unification. Among others, this idea was promoted by the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, headed by A. Hitler.
After the Nazis came to power in Germany, the idea of uniting Germans in one state became the primary goal of the foreign policy of the Third Reich. In Austria, however, this idea faced opposition from the government, political parties, and the Catholic clergy. In July 1934, the Austrian and German Nazis made an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt in the Republic of Austria, and in a number of cities, armed Nazi units demonstrated, demanding the "Anschluss". In the following years, the rapprochement of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, the success of the Saar plebiscite (1935) and the policy of “appeasement” of the aggressor on the part of Great Britain and France created favorable conditions for the implementation of annexation.
On February 12, 1938, Germany issued an ultimatum to the Chancellor of Austria, Kurt Schuschnig, on the appointment of the Austrian Nazi Arthur Zeiss-Inquart as the Minister of the Interior and chief of the investigative police, an amnesty for convicted Nazi criminals, and the inclusion of the Nazis in the country's only political party, the Patriotic Front. K. Schuschnig made an attempt to prevent the Anschluss by holding a plebiscite on the future fate of Austria. Under Hitler's pressure, he canceled the referendum scheduled for March 13, 1938, and then resigned. On the morning of March 12, the army of Nazi Germany entered Austria without encountering resistance from the Austrians. The post of chancellor was taken by A. Zeiss-Inquart. On March 14, 1938, the Law on the Reunification of Austria with the German Empire entered into force, officially sanctioning the annexation of Austria by Germany.
According to this law, Austria became part of the Third Reich as the East Mark (German Ostmark), not Austria (German Österreich), which was supposed to confirm its loss of state status. In order to legitimize the annexation, a plebiscite was held on April 10, 1938, the result of which was the approval of the Anschluss (99.75% of Austrians and 99.08% of Germans voted for it).
Austrian Anschluss demonstrated the Nazis' disdain for the European order that had emerged after the First World War, marking a threat to the stability of Europe. This drew condemnation from many countries around the world, but most of them remained passive observers. This event greatly strengthened the influence of Nazi Germany in the region and prepared the way for further aggressive actions that led to the beginning of World War II.
Maryna Strilchuk