Austria (1934)

Question 1

What did BM realise in the 1920s?

Answer 1

That a strong, resurgent Germany, seeking revision of the ToV, would frighten B & F, and would make them more compliant to Italian demands.

Indeed, neither of them would want Italy as an enemy and she would, thus, be able to play off the 2 camps against each other to their own advantage.

Question 2

Who had BM funded in the late 1920s?

Answer 2

Probably the Nazis along with other RW groups in Germany. - thus on the surface he should be delighted with AH’s accession to power in 1933. But early relations were strained.

Question 3

Why was BM concerned about Hitler’s accession?

Answer 3

1) He was a little apprehensive lest Germany be seen as the centre of F and he be overshadowed by Hitler.
2) A more concrete concern was that this new German regime might take over Austria, thus creating a powerful “greater Germany” which would share an Alpine border with Italy.

Question 4

What impact would the possibility of Anschluss have on Italy?

Answer 4

Italy would lose the security of the N. border guaranteed by victory over Austria-Hungary in 1918 and even be pressurised into ceding these German-speaking areas in NE Italy gained at the peace conference.

Question 5

How did the Austrian govt react to the threat of Anschluss?

Answer 5

-The Austrian chancellor, Dollfuss, looked for outside support and visited Rome 3 times in 1933.

Question 6

Why weren’t the Austrian govt keen on Anschluss?

Answer 6

any union of the 2 countries would NOT be a merger, it’d effectively be the takeover of the weaker (A) by the stronger (G).

Question 7

What did BM tell Dollfuss when he visited Rome 3 times in 1933?

Answer 7

Dollfuss was relieved to be told that he should suppress the Austrian Nazi party and if the Germans threatened to invade then Austrian independence would be protected by Italian arms.

Question 8

What did BM encourage Dollfuss to do in 1934?

Answer 8

to set up a RW authoritarian regime which would be

a) partly modeled on Italian Fascism.
b) but would also be anti-Nazi

Question 9

Dollfuss attempted to follow BM’s instructions but was…

Answer 9

assassinated by Nazi sympathisers in July 1934.

Question 10

How did BM react to D’s murder?

Answer 10

was outraged and immediately dispatched 40k troops to the Austrian border to deter Germany from attempting an armed Anschluss (relations between the 2 F regimes off to an auspicious start).

Question 11

What did BM call Hitler in 1933?

Answer 11

“an ideologue who talks more than he governs”

Question 12

What did BM call Hitler on hearing D’s assassination?

Answer 12

a “horrible sexual degenerate”

Question 13

In the early days what did the 2 leaders think of each other?

Answer 13

BM: mixed feelings c. AH
AH: was flattered when press made comparisons between him and BM and claimed that he was looking forward to meeting him.

Question 14

What did AH have in his home?

Answer 14

A life sized bust of BM

Question 15

What did AH once boast about what would happen once he was in power?

Answer 15

“Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy will be friends for tens and tens of years of at least until I die”

Question 16

When Hitler came to power in 1933…

Answer 16

differences arose between the 2 men.

Question 17

What were Italians according to NG racial theories?

Answer 17

“Med types” and thus inferior.

Question 18

What did the original founder of the Nazis, Anton Dresder, suggest about BM?

Answer 18

That he was a Jew.

Question 19

What were signed in March 1934?

Answer 19

The Rome Protocols (Austria, Hungary and Italy)

Question 20

What were the Rome Protocols?

Answer 20

an agreement by which each would provide assistance to the others if needed.

At the same time BM ave an undertaking to defend Austrian independence.

Question 21

When did BM have to face the reality of NG’s territorial ambitions?

Answer 21

July 1934 (4 months after the Rome Protocols)

Question 22

When did the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapse?

Answer 22

1918

Question 23

What banned Anschluss?

Answer 23

The ToV & ToSt German, since it might encourage the revival of a strong, militaristic Germany—–this is why France and the Little Entente were opposed to it.

Question 24

What did Dollfuss do after his meeting with BM?

Answer 24

• dissolved parlt
• banned communist & nazi parties claiming that “a Catholic country was better off w/o godless Reds & pagan Nazis”
• then formed the Fatherland Front (in effect an Austrian F party)
• in 1934, under BM’s patronage, announced his intention of setting up a corporate state based on the Italian fashion.

Question 25

How did the Austrian Nazis react to the fascistisation of their govt?

Answer 25

engaged in a campaign of terror and sabotage. It’s thought that AH sent his own agent provocateur to help & encourage them.

Question 26

What happened when Dollfuss issued a decree dissolving the Socialist council in Vienna?

Answer 26

The Socialists reacted by calling a general strike.

Question 27

What did the Austrian army do the WC districts of Vienna?

Answer 27

Shelled them & engaged in street fighting. Things were clearly getting out of hand- was a chance that AH might exploit this chaos by using it as an excuse to annex Austria.

Question 28

When did AH and BM meet for the first time?

Answer 28

June 1934 in the Villa Pisani, Stra.

Question 29

After meeting AH, BM described AH’s appearance as?

Answer 29

“like a plumber in a macintosh”

Question 30

What did BM think of Mein Kampf?

Answer 30

boring and one “which I have never been able to read”. AH spent most of the their first meeting quoting passages from his book.

Question 31

What were BM and AH wearing when they first met?

Answer 31

BM:full military get up
AH:civilian dress

BM took offence at this.
Foreign press reported that this reflected the picture of the powerful BM and insignificant AH.

Question 32

What did the foreign press draw caricatures of with regard to BM and AH’s first meeting?

Answer 32

BM towering over the insignificant AH (even though they were of similar height).

Question 33

What did they discuss in this first meeting?

Answer 33

• spoke in broken German.
• Austria and reached a broad measure of agreement as AH agreed to most of BM’s demands.
• AH said that he did not contemplate Anschluss- LIAR

Question 34

What did BM fear when Dollfuss was assassinated?

Answer 34

That it was a prelude to a German occupation of Austria.

Question 35

How did AH react to BM sending 4 divisions to defend Austria?

Answer 35

Was in no position to risk a confrontation with BM and the threat of invasion receded— BM’s virile reaction worked.

Question 36

What did AH say about the D murder?

Answer 36

• Denied all knowledge of the planned putsch
• claimed that if there had been German involvement it would’ve been the work of Ernst Rohm (murdered in the NoLN-June 1934- so couldn’t answer for him).

Question 37

After D’s murder what was BM regarded as?

Answer 37

the guardian of Austrian independence.

Question 38

Their common fear of NG caused Italy and France to?

Answer 38

Draw closer together.