Austria's Good Guys Resist Nazi Takeover
              Both during and after World War I, as well as the lead up to World War II, most historical focus is always on Germany, rather odd in a larger context considering how young the united Germany was. However, it may also be that the Western Allies are a little bit uncomfortable dealing with the history of Austria. An innocent in the Great War, the Austrians lost more than even the despised Germans; the ancient and venerable crown of the Hapsburgs was overthrown, the vast Dual Empire was hacked to pieces and "German Austria" was left shattered and bewildered during the inter-war years. Deprived of everything, it should not have come as a surprise that many Austrians would be attracted by the idea of union with their powerful German-speaking neighbor, and yet, when Hitler came to take Austria, the other powers did nothing to stop him.
          Following their defeat in World War I and the break-up of the Dual Empire of Austria-Hungary, the exile of Blessed Emperor Charles I, many Austrian veterans joined together to form the "Heimwehr" or home guard military units. In trying to put the shattered country back together though, in the face of threats of Communist infiltration and revolution, emerged the war veteran Engelbert Dollfuss. He worked with the Peasant's Association in Lower Austria and later joined the Christian Social Party, eventually becoming Minister of Agriculture.
          In 1932 Dollfuss became Chancellor of Austria after forming a coalition of conservative Austrian parties. A devoutly religious man, he was even educated in a seminary, Dollfuss tackled the problems of the Depression with a system of corporatism and social reform based on the teachings of Pope Leo XIII especially, as well as Pope Pius XI. Though often compared with Italian Fascism, Dollfuss' system was not quite the same as whereas Mussolini reached an uneasy truce with the Catholic Church, the Catholic culture of Austria and Church social teachings were absolutely central to Dollfuss' administration. He wanted a proud, free, humane and benevolent Austria and was repulsed by the Pan-German nationalism and pagan resurgence of the Nazi Party in Germany.
          The corporatist government in Austria was also extremely successful. Dollfuss. When people viewed economics cooperatively instead of competitively there was greater prosperity and less hatred. To secure Austria from forceful union with Germany he made agreements with Mussolini (who had not yet become Hitler's lapdog) who promised to protect Austrian independence. Dollfuss also balanced the Austrian budget, reduced unemployment considerably, increased savings and strengthened the currency. However, the expansionist Nazi Germans were a constant problem. In 1933 Dollfuss officially banned the Communist Party and in 1934 he likewise banned the Nazi Party in Austria. As he rightly saw it, the Communists were atheists and the Nazis were pagans, and both based their systems on hatred of a certain group.
          In 1933 Dollfuss formed the "Patriotic Front" combining the old Christian Social Party and the Heimwehr into an Austrian corporatist party. The nationalists and communists opposed it, but it had considerable support from the Catholic faithful, proud Austrian veterans and monarchist supporters of the Hapsburgs. All of this was too much for the Nazis how-ever and in 1934 the banned Austrian Nazis, with support from the SS and Hitler himself, planned to massacre Dollfuss and the entire cabinet. The plan leaked out and Dollfuss sent the cabinet to safety but remained in the chancellery himself. The building was stormed, he was wounded and was forced to endure the insults and bombast of his assassins while he lay dying of his wounds because of his refusal to accept Hitler as the leader of all German-speakers. Fortunately, the coup failed because of the survival of the cabinet and independent Austria bought some time.
          Long time supporter Kurt von Schuschnigg became the new Austrian Chancellor and immediately cracked down on the Nazis in Austria, arresting thousands of them. Fearful of the Heimwehr, he disbanded them in 1936, but was fooled into taking into his confidence Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a secret Nazi and supporter of Hitler. He met with Hitler in 1938 but thanks to the trechary of Seyss-Inquart, Hitler had the upper hand and forced Schuschnigg to give Seyss-Inquart a position in his cabinet, part of Hitler's plan to take over Austria. Mussolini had also ceased to be a reliable ally. Once he had even rushed troops to Italy's northern border when Austrian independence was threatened, but now he was coming under Hitler's shadow. Schuschnigg was also forced to agree to release all Nazi prisoners, who immediately began plotting his overthrow.
          Schuschnigg, trusting in Austrian patriotism, planned a plebiscite to decide the issue of union with Germany after being given false information that the Germans were invading. Fearful of a blood bath, he ordered no resistance to be made. When Hitler heard this, he ordered the actual invasion to go ahead and the Germans occupied Austria without a struggle. Schuschnigg was forced to resign and was kept in prison by the Nazis until his release by the Americans in 1945. He later moved to the United States where he wrote about his life. He died in Innsbruck in 1977.
Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss
See a video of a Dollfuss speech
Kurt von Schuschnigg
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