• Austria forbidden to units with Germany under the Treaty of Versailles
• Hitler (Austrian) was determined to unite the two countries.

• Abortive attempt at Anschluss after Mussolini massed Italian troops on the Austrian border.

• Austrian-German agreement where Germany agreed not to intervene in Austria and allowed Austrian Nazis to enter the government. This development undermined Austrian independence as the Austrian Nazis were under German control.

• Germany and Italy had grown closer - Rome - Berlin Axis.
• They had co-operated over intervention in the Spanish Civil War.

• Clear that Mussolini would not oppose German aims in Austria. Mussolini told Ribbentrop that he was "tired of mounting guard over Austrian independence."

Hossbach Memorandum

• Hitler set out his Foreign Policy plans and it was sent to key Nazi officials.
• Included a timetable.
• Germany needed living space
• It was not self-sufficient economically - it would have to expand territorially
• Two stages to expansion

1. The occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
2. a major conflict with the major powers no later than 1943 -

• Could gain the first objective without general war because Britain, Hitler believed, had already written off Austria and Czechoslovakia and without Britain, France was unlikely to fight.
• He needed an opportunity to strike.

• France was in the middle of a crisis as the Government had collapsed on 10 March. - two days before Hitler marched into Austria
• Anthony Eden, the British Foreign Secretary, had just resigned
• Public opinion in Britain and France was that Hitler could not be prevented from swallowing up Austria in the near future.
• Italy was engaged in the Spanish civil war, had indicated that it would not intervene or object to the Anschluss -
• Mussolini was closely watching France
• Austrian Nazis, financed by Hitler, had been agitating and had created a political crisis

January 1938

• Austrian police discovered Austrian Nazi plans for sabotage and provocation. This was to be followed by a demand from Hitler for a Nazi-dominated Government
• Clearly Germany had been conspiring with the Austrian Nazis to overthrow the Austrian Government - ultimately Hitler wanted to incorporate Austria into the German Reich.
• Schuschnigg, the Austrian Chancellor immediately banned the Nazis.

• Schuschnigg asked for a meeting with Hitler as Hitler had committed a gross breach of the 1936 agreement and was conspiring to overthrow his government.
• Despairing of help from Italy or France, all Schuschnigg could do was seek a negotiated compromise with Hitler/

February 1938

• Meeting took place and Hitler was in no mood for compromise.
• Hitler demanded that Austria accept a Ten-Point Plan which included an amnesty on all Austrian Nazis.
• Schuschnigg was to accept Seyss-Inquart (Austrian Nazi in the pay of Hitler) as Minister of the Interior - this would mean that the Nazis could run riot in Austria.
• Hitler then threatened to invade if the document went unsigned
• Schuschnigg asked for three days grace to discuss this with his colleagues. They were influenced by fake army manoeuvres on the Austrian border that gave the impression that Hitler was on the point of invading.
• Schuschnigg reluctantly signed
• Seyss-Inquart openly proclaimed, as Minister of the Interior that 'Austria is German' in front of a sea of swastika banners.
• Schuschnigg said 'Every concession on our part brought an avalanche of new and impossible demands' from Seyss-Inquart.
• Austrian Nazis caused disturbances all over the country
• Schuschnigg decided on a final gamble to prevent the Anschluss he called a plebiscite (a vote) on whether Austria should remain independent.
• Hitler sent Schuschnigg an ultimatum to withdraw the plebiscite and moved troops to the Austrian border.
• Hitler then ordered Schuschnigg to resign - with no help or backing coming from Britain, he resigned.

• German troops occupied Austria.
• Austria had became the first country to fall victim to Hitler's aggression
• Persecution of the Austrian Jews began. These were reported in the British press, except the internationally-respected Times Chamberlain had asked the editor not to publish anything that might upset Hitler!
• Hitler sure he could annex Czechoslovakia without war as Britain and France had shown weakness over the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the Anschluss.

• Austrian coup was expected by the Government but British intelligence failed to give advance warning when it happened
• Chamberlain in Cabinet: 'Nothing short of an overwhelming show of force would have stopped it' - Britain did not have such force even if they had wanted to defend Austria (which they did not)
• Chamberlain reproached Hitler for the Anschluss; this had shocked British public opinion; but there was no use 'crying over spilt milk'
• Britain would find ways of restoring peaceful and friendly relations with Germany
• Chamberlain's private thoughts (letter to sister) - said Britain should show Hitler that it could not be bullied - he would order an increase in rearmament - but he also wanted to start peace talks with the Germans again
• Chiefs of Staff warned the Government that fighting Hitler now would not only involve a 'limited European war' but 'world war' as Japan and Italy would take advantage of British distraction in Europe
• Lord Lothian - at last the Anschluss 'ends a disastrous period when the League attempted to deny to the Germans...their national unity'
• Lord Tweedsmuir - 'I do not see what the fuss is about'
• Churchill called the Anschluss 'a programme of aggression, nicely calculated and timed' and that Britain should take ' effective measures while time remains' - Churchill was in a minority
• Opinion that Austria could not be defended by Britain given its geographical position
• Did not have the capability to do defend Austria;

• Public still on the whole pacifist

• Opinion that it was only giving Germany what was denied under the discredited Versailles Treaty
• Appeasing Hitler was seen as the best way of securing peace and security. This was in Britain's national interest, given its worldwide /imperial commitments.