Complex sentence: Following the First Republic (1918--1933) Austrofascism tried to keep Austria independent from the German Reich, but in 1938 it was annexed by Nazi Germany with the support of the majority of the Austrian people.
Split into simpler sentences: Following the First Republic (1918--1933), Austrofascism tried to keep Austria independent from the German Reich. But in 1938 it was annexed by Nazi Germany with the support of the majority of the Austrian people.