German Annexation of Austria

On March 11, 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg resigned in the face of German pressure. Following his resignation, Austrian Nazis took over the government. The next day, March 12, German troops crossed the border into Austria. They were greeted with cheers of welcome from many Austrians. On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Arthur Seyss-Inquart signed a law called the “Reunification of Austria with Germany” (“Wiedervereinigung Österreichs mit dem Deutschen Reich”). Austria was no longer an independent country. It was now part of the Greater German Reich.

Beginning on the night of March 11 and in the weeks that followed, there was widespread anti-Jewish violence across the country. Austrian Nazis and others beat up, attacked, and humiliated Jews. Soon, Austria’s Jews were subjected to the laws and restrictions that discriminated against Jews in Nazi Germany.