Untitled Document
Sub units: Background | First attempt at Anschluss | Second attempt at Anschluss | A showdown between Hitler and Schuschnigg | The aftermath of the invasion of Austria | The reaction of the West and conclusion

  • Hitler invited Schuschnigg to Berchtesgaden, saying he would like to discuss the relationship between the two countries.
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Berchtesgaden was Hitler's holiday home in the Bavarian Alps. He rented it in 1928, and asked his half-sister to be his housekeeper. She brought her 20-year-old daughter, Geli, with whom Hitler fell in love. The relationship lasted until 1931, when Geli was found shot dead in their apartment. It was determined to have been suicide.

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What had changed between 1934 and 1938? Why was an Italian invasion no longer a threat to Hitler's plans of Anschluss? Hitler and Mussolini had become allies after signing the Rome-Berlin Axis in 1936, and strengthening it in the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis in 1937. As a result, Mussolini was no longer afraid of a German invasion of Italy so this time he would not object to unification between Germany and Austria.

  • Hitler told Schuschnigg that Austria had committed high treason against the German government throughout its history.
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What argument would Hitler have used to explain this accusation? He saw Austria as part of the German Reich. Therefore any attempt on the part of Austria to deny this, or to resist the unification of the two countries, was seen by Hitler as an act of treachery against the German state.

  • Schuschnigg was given an ultimatum by Hitler.
  • Schuschnigg agreed - knowing Austria stood no chance against Germany without Italy's support.
  • He returned home and appointed the Nazi leader minister of foreign affairs.
  • Schuschnigg decided to try and foil Hitler's plan. The only way he could do this was by proving that the Austrian people did not want Anschluss.
  • He therefore called a referendum for the people to vote on the issue.
  • Hitler was furious. A few days before the referendum he sent the German troops into Austria.
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According to some sources the invasion was badly planned. The German troops had to use maps they got from travel agents to figure out the route, and 70 per cent of the tanks involved in the invasion broke down.

Sub units: Background | First attempt at Anschluss | Second attempt at Anschluss | A showdown between Hitler and Schuschnigg | The aftermath of the invasion of Austria | The reaction of the West and conclusion
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