“Austria returns home to the Reich”
With the defeat and dissolution of the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War, the German-speaking Austrians decided they wanted to join the new German Republic. Having just expended a great deal of blood and treasure in defeating their enemy, Great Britain, France and the USA baulked at the idea of Germany emerging from its defeat larger and more populous than before. Vetoed by the Western Allies, the idea receded to the fringes of political life and only cranks like Adolf Hitler kept faith with this short-lived project.
In 1933, Hitler knew that he would have to bide his time before making any territorial demands. Tensions stirred up by his agents in Austria came to a head in 1938 and the Austrian government was forced to resign on 11 March. German troops crossed the border and took control of the alpine republic on 12 March. Events moved thick and fast. Passing the Reunification Act on 13 March, 99% of voters cast their vote for the annexation of Austria by Germany – known as the Anschluss – in a plebiscite held on 10 April.
About the Deutschlandmuseum
An immersive and innovative experience museum about 2000 years of German history
The whole year at a glance
