After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, he began to prepare for the expansion of armaments in Germany. Especially after the death of Marshal Hindenburg, no one can restrain him, and Hitler can be said to have officially exposed his horse's feet for external expansion. First, troops were sent to occupy the Demilitarized Zone of the Rhine. It then annexed Austria and then occupied the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. It can be said that it poses a great threat to the peace in Europe. However, this was not the case in Europe at that time, especially austria, which was occupied by Hitler, not only did not feel sad, but the people of the country took to the streets to welcome him.
In 1933, German spies began their activities in Austria. In July 1934, he instigated a rebel rebellion by The Viennese fascists and assassinated Austrian Chancellor E. Taúlfes. On 11 July 1936, Germany forced Austria to sign the German-Austrian Agreement. By this time Austria had become a puppet of Germany, and the time for annexation was getting closer and closer. Sure enough, on March 15, 1938, Germany annexed Austria and began a policy of oppression, prohibiting all hostile activities against Hitler's referendum in Austria. Under his coercion, 99 percent of the voters favored the German-Austrian merger.
In any case, Austria, as an independent country, was annexed by Germany at this time. People should feel sad, after all, the country has been destroyed. But the Austrians didn't have any sadness. During Hitler's visit to Austria, the Austrians were greeted by the Austrians, a phenomenon very rare in the whole world. So why is this strange phenomenon happening?
In fact, this is mainly related to the history of Austria and Germany. Historically, Austria and Germany have long been one country, both belonging to the Holy Roman Empire. Although the Holy Roman Empire later fell to the side of imperial power, there were many princes. But in any case, Austria and Germany are of the same origin. Germany's predecessors, Prussia and Austria, were the two most powerful vassal states in the Holy Roman Empire. Eventually Prussia unified part of the Holy Roman Empire and established Germany. Austria annexed Hungary to establish the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Relations between the two countries are still very good. During World War I, the two countries were still allies. And Hitler was an Austrian, he joined the army in Germany.
For this reason, Austria has a special affection for Germany. After Hitler came to power, Germany began to rise, which made not only the Germans happy, but also the Austrians. After all, they were all Germans, and they were all sanctioned by the League of Nations. Now that Germany has risen, Austria is of course happy for them. At this time, many Austrians wanted to join Germany so that they would not be subject to the sanctions of the League of Nations and become a strong German. This is why when Germany annexed Austria, these people would welcome the German army in the middle of the road.
But aggression is aggression, and this essence cannot be changed. In October 1943, the Moscow Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom declared Germany's annexation of Austria null and void and decided to restore Austria's independence. After World War II, Austria became independent and was separated from Germany again.