How Austria lost its independence

G3 Full History - syllabus K330, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge how far leaders, governments and the League were responsible for the steps that led to World War II.

    Syllabus K330, War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, Learning Outcomes. Evaluate the roles played by individuals and groups in developments leading to the outbreak of World War II.

Make a guess

In April 1938, after German troops entered Austria, a vote showed almost total support for union with Germany. What do you think the vote proves?

  1. Very little, because it came after the takeover and was not free.
  2. That Austrians freely chose to join Germany.
  3. That Italy and Britain had approved the union in advance.
Show the answer

Very little, because it came after the takeover and was not free.

Opponents were silenced and many were barred from voting. Some Austrians did welcome union, but this vote cannot measure how many.

Germany took over Austria in March 1938 by threats and troops; the Nazi-run vote came afterwards and was not free.

Austria was an independent country next to Germany. Anschluss means union. Hitler said Austrians and Germans shared a language and identity. But the peace treaties banned union. Austrian Nazis stirred up trouble. In 1934, Italy had opposed a takeover. By 1938, Mussolini was closer to Hitler and no longer stood in the way.

In March 1938, Austria's chancellor, Kurt Schuschnigg, planned a vote on independence. Hitler demanded he cancel it and resign. German troops marched in on 12 March, and union was declared the next day. Austria lost its independence and became part of Germany.

On 10 April, the Nazis held a referendum, a public vote. Some Austrians did welcome union. But the vote was not a free test of opinion: the takeover had already happened, opponents were silenced and many were barred from voting. Germany gained people and resources, and now surrounded western Czechoslovakia on three sides. Austrian Jews and opponents faced persecution at once.

12 March 1938
German troops enter Austria.
Anschluss
Union of Austria with Germany.
10 April 1938
Nazi-run referendum after the takeover.

Real examples to use

12 to 13 March 1938

German troops entered Austria on 12 March and union was declared the next day, after Schuschnigg cancelled his independence vote.

Referendum, 10 April 1938

The Nazis announced 99.7 per cent approval. The vote was not secret, and Jews and Roma, about 4 per cent of the population, were barred.

Worked example: What can a vote after a takeover show?

The April 1938 referendum reported huge support for union.

  1. Timing: the takeover happened in March, before the vote.
  2. Conditions: opponents could not campaign, and many could not vote.
  3. So it shows Nazi propaganda, not a free choice.

Watch out for this

The referendum proves Austria freely chose to join Germany.

The vote came after the takeover, under Nazi control, so it was not free.

Check your understanding

Why is the April 1938 referendum weak evidence of Austrian wishes?

  1. It was held before German troops arrived, so Austrians were misled.
  2. Most Austrians voted against union, but the result was hidden.
  3. It was held after the takeover, with opponents silenced.
Show the answer

It was held after the takeover, with opponents silenced.

Yes. A controlled vote cannot show free choice.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • A public commitment to consultation

    Anglo-German declaration signed by Hitler and Chamberlain, 30 September 1938, as read in Chamberlain's House of Commons statement on 3 October. Paraphrase of the declaration, not the whole speech.

  • Chamberlain defends Munich

    Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister, addressing the House of Commons, 3 October 1938, after returning from Munich. Paraphrase of passages on the agreement, Czechoslovakia, future peace and rearmament.

  • Churchill challenges the settlement

    Winston Churchill, Conservative MP and critic of the government's appeasement policy, speaking in the House of Commons, 5 October 1938. Paraphrase of passages on deterrence and Czechoslovakia.

  • A record of Hitler's private discussion

    Colonel Friedrich Hossbach's memorandum, dated 10 November 1937, recording Hitler's meeting with senior military and foreign-policy officials on 5 November. Paraphrase of the recorded discussion; the memorandum is not a word-for-word transcript.

  • Munich Pact, 29 September 1938, clauses 1-4

    Munich Pact, dated 29 September 1938 and signed by Germany, Britain, France and Italy in the early hours of 30 September. Paraphrase of clauses 1-4; Czechoslovakia was later represented on the implementation commission.

  • a cartoon about Munich, October 1938

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a British newspaper cartoon by a critic of appeasement, published in early October 1938, days after the Munich Agreement. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.

  • Munich Pact, 29 September 1938, clauses 1-4

    Extract from the agreement signed at Munich by Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, dated 29 September 1938 and signed in the early hours of 30 September. Czechoslovakia was not represented at the conference. Text from the Avalon Project (English text as published by the British government).

  • Chamberlain in the House of Commons

    Extract from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's statement in the House of Commons, 3 October 1938, opening the debate on the Munich Agreement. Hansard, House of Commons, 3 October 1938. Parliamentary copyright, reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.

  • Churchill in the House of Commons

    Extract from Winston Churchill's speech in the House of Commons debate on the Munich Agreement, 5 October 1938. Churchill was a Conservative MP and the best-known critic of the government's policy. Hansard, House of Commons, 5 October 1938. Parliamentary copyright, reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.

  • a record of Hitler's secret meeting

    Extract from the memorandum by Colonel Friedrich Hossbach, Hitler's military adjutant, of a secret meeting between Hitler and his foreign minister and military chiefs on 5 November 1937, dated 10 November 1937. It was written from memory, not as a word-for-word record, and was used as evidence at the Nuremberg trials. English translation from Documents on German Foreign Policy, published by the US State Department; text from the Avalon Project.

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