Anschluss with Austria

• Hitler's aim to unify Austria and Germany is known as Anschluss, meaning union
• In 1934, Hitler's first attempt at Anschluss was thwarted by Italian objections, fearing an enlarged Germany on their border
• By 1938, Hitler launched his second attempt at Anschluss, leading to the Anschluss with Austria on March 12, 1938
• The Austrian Chancellor tried to preserve the country from German invasion by cooperating with Hitler, leading to the German-Austrian Agreement of 1936
• Hitler ordered Austrian Nazis to create trouble to pressure Schuschnigg, allowing him to justify marching German troops into Vienna to restore peace
• The Anschluss with Austria strengthened Hitler by:

  • Making Germany stronger by adding seven million people and an army of 100,000 to the German Reich
  • Overturning a section of the Treaty of Versailles that had forbidden union between Austria and Germany
  • Convincing Hitler that France and Britain were weak and would not interfere with his plans
  • Boosting Hitler's popularity and prestige within Germany
  • Demonstrating the effectiveness of the alliance between Germany and Italy
• The Anschluss with Austria demonstrated that the new alliance between Germany and Italy was working, as Mussolini had allowed Hitler a free hand in Austria in 1938