Page - 346 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

346 chapter 8 positive,distancedhimself fromanyefforts tocreateaunited front.Hedidso not leastundertheimpressionoftheMoscowshowtrialsof 1936. Simultaneously, Schuschnigg’spolicieshadweakened theAustrianmiddle classes.After thedissolutionof theHeimwehr, a shift of power tookplace in theChristianSocialPartybenefitingtheFatherlandFrontandGreaterGerman party.Becauseofhisaversiontodemocracyandsocialpluralism,Schuschnigg adheredtothe‘Germanpath’,thusdecisively,ifunintentionally,pavingtheway forNationalSocialism.Schuschnigg’s11 July1936agreementwithHitlerwasan importantmilestoneon this path.Ostensibly, the leaders signed to reinforce friendlyrelationsbetweenthetwocountries.117Yet in fact,Austria,whichhad notreceivedanysupportfromItalysince1936,hadtograntseriousconcessions toNaziGermany–essentially, theagreementhandedthecountryovertoNazi jurisdiction.After the failed12FebruarynegotiationswithHitler,Schuschnigg made a final attempt to saveAustria’s independencebydecreeing a referen- dumfora ‘free, independent,German,andChristianAustria’.118Thetwoillegal parties, thekpöandrs, announced their support for the referendum,even if they did not believe that the clerical-fascist government’s resistance against GermanNazismwould be successful, given that Schuschnigg eschewed the supportoftheworkingclassandthestatepowerrestedsolelyonthepolice.The anticipatedplebiscite,towhichBauerattachedgreathope,neverhadachance totakeplace.On11March1938,GermantroopsmarchedintoAustriaandforced Schuschniggtosurrenderunconditionally.TheNational-Socialistgovernment formed on 13 March with German consent appealed to the ‘extraordinary powers’ implementedin1934andintroducedanewconstitution,accordingto whichAustriawas incorporatedintotheGermanReich.Nolawfulact legitim- isedAustria’soccupation–itwasaforcefulannexation.Thatsaid,themajority ofAustriansocietywelcomedtheAnschlusswithenthusiasm.119Itisimportant torememberthatthisstageinthehistoryofthecountrywastheresultofmany yearsofpassiveSocial-Democraticpolitics,thecounter-revolutionaryoffensive 117 Byvirtueof this agreement,Germany recognisedAustria’s full independence,while the Austrian government proclaimed that its principle was to build Austria as a German state. It furthermore committed itself to counter anti-Hitler propaganda and liquidate HeimwehrunitshostiletoHitlerandNazism. 118 SeeAdamovichandSpanner1957,p.35. 119 The citizens ofGraz,whowelcomedHitler’s annexationwith greatwarmth,may serve asanexample.TheThirdReichawardedGrazthetitle, ‘thecityof thepeople’suprising’. However, there is no clear record as tohowmanyAustrians supportedHitler’s annexa- tion–not least because someof thosehostile to thensdapnonetheless supported the Anschluss.