Dr. Ching-chih Chen

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Austria's Anschluss is a lesson for Taiwan
Friday August 06, by Dr. Ching-chih Chen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published on Taipei Times http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2001/05/15/85810

Austria's Anschluss is a lesson for Taiwan

By Chen Ching-chih

Tuesday, May 15, 2001,Page 8

Austria, in its present form, dates only from 1918, after the end of World War I. Ethnically speaking, more than 95 percent of its people are German. The German language is spoken even in the small non-German areas.

It is essential that the people of Taiwan understand how Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany to become part of the greater Germany in 1938.

In 1918 after the victory of the Allied powers in World War I, the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up to form a number of independent countries, including the Republic of German-Austria.

The major political parties in Austria insisted on Anschluss (union with Germany), but the peace treaties forbade this and the newly formed League of Nations demanded that the republic cease calling itself German-Austria.

In the early 1920s, German nationalism rapidly gained ground; a series of unauthorized plebiscites held in some of the Austrian provinces in 1920 to 1921 returned overwhelming majorities in favor of union with Germany. Among Austrians, there remained a strong feeling of affinity with Germany in the following years.

By the time Austrian-born Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in the spring of 1933, Nazi propaganda for the incorporation of Austria had been vastly increased. Engelbert Dollfuss, who became chancellor of Austria in 1932, however, was opposed to union with Germany.

In July 1934, planning to create a Nazi government in Austria, a group of Austrian Nazis assassinated Dollfuss but failed to seize the government.

Kurt von Schuschnigg succeeded Dollfuss as chancellor. Nazi Germany's pressure on Austria increased and the new chancellor was compelled to negotiate a compromise with Germany on July 11, 1936.

Nazi Germany promised to respect Austrian sovereignty; in return Austria acknowledged itself "a German state."

The agreement of July 1936 opened Austria to Nazi infiltration. Schuschnigg subsequently planned a last-minute effort to avoid a union with Germany by holding a plebiscite, but Hitler forced him to resign.

In March 1938, German troops, accompanied by Hitler, entered and occupied Austria. In spite of his pledge to respect Austrian sovereignty, Hitler on March 13 proclaimed in Vienna Germany's annexation of Austria.

Independent and sovereign Austria was not fully restored until 10 years after Germany's defeat in May 1945.

There are striking similarities between Taiwan today and independent Austria between 1918 and 1938. Just consider the following:

First, a significant percentage of the people of Taiwan still consider themselves "Hua-jen" (華人, ethnic Chinese).

Second, Taiwan is seen by many, including President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), as a Hua-jen state.

Third, in Taiwan today, there are many who are in favor of unification with China.

Fourth, there are already increasingly closer cultural and economic ties between Taiwan and China.

Pressure is on for the Taiwan government to reach a compromise or agreement with China. Whatever that agreement will be, it will certainly facilitate Chinese communist infiltration of Taiwan.

One is bound to ask: will Beijing honor an agreement without an international guarantee? Doesn't Taiwan need to defend itself against Beijing's design to annex it? Don't the people of Taiwan welcome US support of their democracy?

In any case, it is abundantly clear that the people of Taiwan and their leaders can and must learn from the Austrian lesson.

Chen Ching-chih is professor of history at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.