The idea of an Anschluss (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "Greater Germany") [b] arose after the 1871 unification of Germany excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. It gained support after the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell in 1918.
Anschluss, political union of Austria with Germany, achieved through annexation by Adolf Hitler in 1938. Mooted in 1919 by Austria, Anschluss with Germany remained a hope (chiefly with Austrian Social Democrats) during 1919–33, after which Hitler’s rise to power made it less attractive.
The Anschluss ('fusion') of 12 March 1938 was the annexation and formal union of Austria with Germany. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the Nazi leader of Germany, dreamed of an empire which enclosed all German speakers, his 'Greater Germany'.
On March 11–13, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed the neighboring country of Austria. This event is known as the Anschluss. The Anschluss was the Nazi German regime’s first act of territorial aggression and expansion. The Anschluss was widely popular in both Germany and Austria.
The annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, had remained a long-standing goal for both Hitler and many German nationalists who had been agitating for unification since the end of the First World War.
In an attempt to realise his goals, Hitler was determined to destabilise Austria and undermine its independence. His ultimate goal was Anschluss (union) with Austria.
The Anschluss, meaning “union” or “connection” in German, refers to the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938. This significant event played a crucial role in Adolf Hitler’s expansionist ambitions and the eventual outbreak of World War II.