The 1938 Anschluss: Nazi Germany's Annexation of Austria

The Anschluss (German for "connection/union") was the de facto annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on March 12–13, 1938, realizing a pan-German nationalist goal forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.

Background

• 1918–1933: Austrian Republic sought union; blocked by Allies. Hitler (Austrian-born) made it a core Nazi aim.
• 1934: Failed Nazi coup (July Putsch) assassinated Chancellor Dollfuss; Mussolini honored guarantee of Austrian independence.
• 1936–1938: Axis Rome-Berlin formed; Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg pressured by Hitler (Berchtesgaden meeting Feb 1938).

The Event

1. March 11: Schuschnigg announces plebiscite (March 13) on independence. Hitler demands cancellation/resignation.
2. March 11 (evening): Schuschnigg resigns. Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart appointed Chancellor.
3. March 12: German Wehrmacht crosses border unopposed (mechanical breakdowns delayed them; Hitler furious). Austrians cheer; flowers thrown.
4. March 13: Anschluss law proclaimed. Hitler enters Linz, then Vienna (Heldenplatz speech to 250,000).
5. April 10: Rigged plebiscite: 99.7% "Ja" (Jews/Roma excluded, coercion rampant).

Consequences

• Austria: Renamed "Ostmark." 70,000+ arrested (politicians, Jews, dissenters). Nuremberg Laws applied instantly. Kristallnacht (Nov 1938) ferocious in Vienna.
• International: Britain/France protested verbally only (appeasement). Mussolini acquiesced.
• Hitler: Emboldened; turned to Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland) within weeks.

The Anschluss was a critical step toward WWII, demonstrating Hitler's expansionism and Allied impotence.