!!!Österreich 1938-1945
Austria 1938-1945: The National Socialists ( National Socialism)
seized power on the evening of March 3, 1938 and German troops marched
into Austria on March 12; the Federal President W. Miklas resigned
from office on March 13, 1938 and the national-socialist Federal
Government passed a constitutional law stating that "Austria is a
province of the German Reich", and a Reich Law (Reichsgesetz) in
the same wording was published in Berlin. The implementation was put
into the hands of the gauleiter of the Saarland province, J.
Buerckel, who was temporary leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and
became "Reich Commissioner (Reichskommissar) for the
Reunification of Austria with the German Reich" following the
plebiscite over the Anschluss on April 4, 1938. The government was
called "Oesterreichische Landesregierung" (Austrian
Provincial Government) and was headed by A. Seyss-Inquart as Reich
Governor (Reichsstatthalter); it remained in power until 1939, when it
was forced to hand over its powers and liquidate the hitherto existing
Austrian state ( First Republic).
\\
J. Buerckel was given far-reaching authorities after April 10, 1938,
e.g. the authority to instruct the Reich Governor, but not including
Wehrmacht (the German Armed Forces) and economy. The name
"Oesterreich" (Austria) was for the time replaced by
"Ostmark".
\\
The replacement of leaders in the public and private sectors led to
drastic measures. On April 1, 1938, the first Austrian officials and
patriots were deported to the concentration camp in Dachau, other
persons were temporarily arrested. Along with Austrian National
Socialists, many German nationals took over leading positions, which
caused many problems, especially in the economy.
\\
Integration of the Austrian economy into the German system started in
March 1938. The Austrian economy was integrated into the 4-year plan
and almost all large-scale industry passed into German ownership. On
31 May, 1938, the Nazi Party divided the "Ostmark" into gau districts,
Upper Austria and Lower Austria were re-named "Oberdonau"
(Upper Danube) and "Niederdonau" (Lower Danube" and the
historical borders of the provinces were altered. On 1 October, 1938,
administrative structures were altered according to the gau structure:
The province of Burgenland was split between Lower Danube and Styria,
the Tyrol and Vorarlberg were merged, East Tyrol became part of
Carinthia, the court district of Bad Aussee was integrated into Upper
Danube, 97 suburban municipalities became part of Vienna, the
municipalities of Jungholz and Mittelberg became Bavarian territory.
Uniformity, which meant the complete destruction of historic
structures, came in the form of the Ostmark Act of 1 May, 1939.
7 Reichsgau districts were created which were identical with the
Nazi Party gau districts. They were headed by Reich Governors who were
at the same time Nazi Party gauleiter and reported to the minister of
the interior. The powers of the Reich Governor of Austria passed over
to the Reich Commissioner, whose post expired on 31 March, 1940, and
with this date Austria finally lost its legal personality. From August
1942, even use of the terms "Ostmark" or "Ostmark
Reichsgau districts" was no longer permitted; the new
comprehensive term being "Alps and Danube Reichsgau
districts".
\\
The administrative districts were placed under the authority of a
sub-prefect (Landrat) and were equipped with self-governing powers,
the German Local Government Act took effect on 1 October, 1938, and a
number of towns were considerably enlarged through incorporation
(Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Krems, St. Poelten,
etc.). Major changes came with the creation of registrar's offices and
the implementation of new social and tax laws. When assessing
administrative and social measures, it has to be taken into
consideration that Austria was forced to adopt German administrative
practice and accept National Socialist dictatorship. A strict police
regime was introduced in order to consolidate the National Socialist
state, the Austrian armed forces were incorporated into the German
Wehrmacht, 2 defence district headquarters were established and a
2-year military service was introduced, supplemented by the Reich
Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst). Critics of the regime were
persecuted, deported into concentration camps or sentenced to death. A
concentration camp was built at Mauthausen, which later had a number
of satellite camps as well.
\\
The persecution and expulsion of Jews reached a first peak in the
November Pogrom of 9/10 November, 1938, followed by almost complete
concentration of the remaining Jewish population in Vienna and by
their systematic deportation into Concentration Camps and
extermination camps. Subject to similar persecution were the Roma and
Sinti people, especially in Burgenland. The Roman Catholic Church was
subjected to intensive pressure, and this despite the bishops' attempt
in 1938 to remain on good terms with Hitler. Efforts to gain absolute
control of youth education via the Hitlerjugend organisation led to
an assault of the Archbishop's palace in Vienna in October 1938.
Following this, numerous monasteries were closed, for example those in
Admont, Altenburg, Klosterneuburg, Goettweig, Wilhering,
Kremsmuenster, St. Florian, Lambach and Stams. The abbey of St.
Lambrecht had already been dissolved in May 1938 and was later turned
into a satellite camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp. Church
schools were also closed. Volksschule primary schools and Hauptschule
secondary schools were reduced in number, advanced-level specialised
schools (Oberschulen) underwent far-reaching alterations, a number of
additional institutions were created. Federal institutes of education
(Bundeserziehungsanstalten) were replaced by "Napola" Schools (
National Political Institutes of Education). In teacher training, the
Austrian institute for teacher training continued to exist, as did the
universities. All forms of social and cultural life were subjected to
the requirements of the Nazi Party, whose organisation was closely
linked with the organisation of the state.
\\
As for the economy, the hitherto persisting high levels of
unemployment fell sharply due to war preparation by the National
Socialist regime. Road construction (autobahn) took off, as did the
foundation of large-scale enterprises, particularly in Upper Austria
(Linz, Lenzing, Ranshofen), and restructuring of existing enterprises
and the exploitation of raw material resources (iron ore, mineral oil,
magnesite and timber) for the armament industry. Numerous military
structures (barracks, airfields, camps) and large troop training
fields (Doellersheim, Kaisersteinbruch) were built. Foreign currency
reserves (ATS 471,490,000 at the end of 1937, plus clearing assets
abroad) of the Austrian National Bank ( Nationalbank,
Oesterreichische, OeNB) were claimed by the Reich Bank, and in
addition the Austrian schilling had to be exchanged at the
unfavourable rate of 1.5 schillings to 1 Reichsmark.
\\
Foreign policy was particularly disappointing for Tyroleans, since
Hitler did not reunify North and South Tyrol. Instead, German-speaking
inhabitants of the Italian province of Alto Adige were given the right
to move to Germany, and a large number of them were resettled in what
used to be Austria. Hitler continued his aggressive expansion policy,
bringing Germany to the brink of war in what came to be known as the
"Sudeten crisis" of September 1938, the annexation of Southern Moravia
and Southern Bohemia which were consequently incorporated into Upper
Danube and Lower Danube, respectively. This was followed by the
occupation of Czechoslovakia, making Bohemia and Moravia German
protectorates, by the foundation of Slovakia and structural changes in
the Balkans ("Vienna Arbitration Award"). Finally, the
attack on Poland led to the outbreak of the Second World War on 1
September, 1939.
\\
The immediate consequences were a deterioration of the supply
situation and conscription. During the occupation of Norway, for
example, Germany used almost only Austrian mountain troops. With the
campaign against Yugoslavia in April 1941 the war was carried to
Austria´s southern border region (headquarters in the tunnel of
Tauchen near Moenichkirchen), Upper Carniola was annexed to Carinthia,
the eastern part of Slovenia integrated into Styria. The war
intensified with the attack on Russia (22 June, 1941), and on 11
December, 1941, Germany declared war on the United States of America.
1943 saw the beginnings of anti-aircraft defence organisation for
industrial centres in Austria, in which school-children from the upper
grades had to participate as well. To make up for the shortage of male
workers, women were trained and war prisoners and forced labourers
from Poland and the Ukraine were employed in industry and agriculture.
\\
The liquidation of the Sixth German Army, including many Austrian
soldiers, at Stalingrad in January 1943, marked the decisive turning
point in the war, and the implications of this were soon to be felt in
all areas of daily life. Wiener Neustadt was the first Austrian town
to be bombarded, on 13 August, 1943, by American bomber fighters based
in Tunisia. Later on, industrial sites, oil fields, transport
facilities and housing estates were targeted ( Bomb Warfare). All
major Austrian towns suffered heavy destruction. From 28. March, 1945,
Russian troops coming from Hungary entered Austria and conquered
Burgenland, Vienna, the eastern half of Lower Austria and eastern
Styria. Western Austria was liberated by American, British and French
troops, the south of Carinthia by the Yugoslav army.
\\
The Nazi Party administration and other structures broke down
completely as the Second World War drew to a close. On 27. April,
1945, in Vienna, Austria was proclaimed a republic again ( Second
Republic).
!Literature
L. Jedlicka, Verfassungs- und Verwaltungsprobleme 1938-45,
in: Die Entwicklung der Verfassung Oesterreichs vom Mittelalter bis
zur Gegenwart, 1963; N. Schausberger, Ruestung in Oesterreich 1938-45,
1970; E. Hanisch and W. Neugebauer, NS-Herrschaft in Oesterreich
1938-45, 1988; H. Hagspiel, Die Ostmark, 1995.
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