Germany took over Austria in March 1938 after threats and military pressure. The Nazi-run vote in April came after that takeover.
Austria was an independent country bordering Germany. Anschluss means union, here the joining of Austria to Germany. Hitler appealed to their shared German language and identity, even though the post-war treaties protected Austrian independence. Austrian Nazis undermined their own government. Italy had opposed a German takeover in 1934, but by 1938 Mussolini's closer relationship with Hitler had removed an important obstacle.
In March 1938, Austria's chancellor, its head of government, Kurt Schuschnigg planned a vote on independence. Hitler demanded that he cancel it and resign. German troops entered Austria on 12 March, and annexation was proclaimed the next day. Annexation means taking territory into another state: Austria now lost its independence and became part of Germany.
The Nazis held their own referendum, a direct public vote, on 10 April. Some Austrians welcomed union, but this result was not a free test of the country's wishes. The takeover had already happened, opponents faced repression and many people were barred from voting. Germany gained people and resources and a stronger position around Czechoslovakia. Austrian Jews and political opponents faced immediate persecution.
Worked example: What can a vote held after a takeover show?
The April 1938 referendum reported overwhelming approval for union with Germany.
- First place it in time: troops entered and annexation took place in March. The April vote did not authorise the takeover in advance.
- Then check the conditions: opponents could not campaign freely, and many people were excluded from voting.
- The result shows how the Nazis presented the takeover as approved by the people. It cannot measure everyone's free choice, even though genuine support for union existed.
Watch out for this
The referendum is decisive evidence that Austria freely chose annexation.
The vote followed the takeover and was controlled by the Nazis. Some people supported union, but repression and exclusions prevent the official result from being treated as a free national choice.
Check your understanding
Why should a historian be cautious about using the April referendum to show that Austria freely chose union?
- The very high official approval figure is enough by itself to show that the result was fabricated.
- The takeover had already happened, and the vote took place under Nazi control with exclusions and repression.
- A vote held after a takeover has no value for understanding what the new rulers wanted people to believe.