page_title: Anschluss
section_title: Plebiscite
hierarchical_section_title: Anschluss / Plebiscite
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Stimmzettel vom 10. April 1938. („Volksabstimmung und Großdeutscher Reichstag; Stimmzettel; Bist Du mit der am 13. März 1938 vollzogenen; Wiedervereinigung Österreichs mit dem Deutschen Reich; einverstanden und stimmst Du für die Liste unseres Führers; Adolf Hitler?; Ja; Nein”) English: Voting ballot from 10 April 1938. ("Referendum and Großdeutscher Reichstag; Ballot; Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich that was enacted on 13 March 1938 and do you vote for the party of our leader; Adolf Hitler?; Yes; No") Español: Boleta electoral del 10 de abril de 1938. ("Referendum y Großdeutscher Reichstag; Boleta Electoral; ¿Estás de acuerdo con la reunificación de Austria con el imperio alemán que fue promulgado el 13 de marzo de 1938 y votas por el partido de nuestro lider, Adolf Hitler?; Si; No") Suomi: Äänestyslippu 10. huhtikuuta 1938. ("Kansanäänestys ja Großdeutscher Reichstag; Äänestyslippu; Hyväksytkö 13. maaliskuuta 1938 tehdyn Itävallan jälleenyhdistämisen Saksan valtakuntaan ja äänestätkö johtajamme; Adolf Hitlerin puoluetta?; Kyllä; En") Français&#160;: Bulletin de vote du 10 Avril 1938. ("Referendum et Reichstag de la Grande-Allemagne'; Bulletin; Êtes-vous d'accord avec la réunification de l' Autriche avec le Reich allemand qui a été promulguée le 13 Mars 1938 et votez-vous pour le parti de notre dirigeant&#160;; Adolf Hitler&#160;?; Oui; Non") Italiano: Scheda elettorale del plebiscito del 10 aprile 1938 tenutosi in Germania e in Austria per legittimare l'annessione di quest'ultima (Anschluss&#160;) al Terzo Reich, avvenuta il 13 marzo precedente. Il testo del quesito elettorale era: «Sei d'accordo con l'unificazione dell'Austria al Terzo Reich tedesco avvenuta il 13 marzo 1938 e voti per il partito del nostro capo Adolf Hitler?». "Si"; "No") 日本語: 1938年4月10日に行われた、合邦を問う国民投票用紙。 ("あなたは1938年3月13日に制定されたオーストリアとドイツ国の再統一に賛成し、我々の指導者アドルフ・ヒトラーの党へ賛成票を投じますか。: はい・いいえ") Nederlands: Stembiljet van 10 april 1938. ("Referendum en Großdeutscher Reichstag; Stembiljet; Ben jij het eens met de, op 13 maart 1938 voltrokken, hereniging van Oostenrijk met het Duitse Rijk en stem je op de partij van onze leider; Adolf Hitler?; Ja; Nee") Português: Cédula eleitoral de 10 de abril de 1938. ("Referendum e Großdeutscher Reichstag; Cédula eleitoral; Você concorda com a reunificação da Áustria com o Império Alemão posta em vigor em 13 de março de 1938 e vota pelo partido de nosso líder, Adolf Hitler?; Sim; Não") Русский: Бланк референдума 10 апреля 1938: «Согласен ли ты с произошедшим 13 марта 1938 г. воссоединением Австрии с Германией и голосуешь ли за партию нашего лидера Адольфа Гитлера?», над большим кругом надпись «Да», над маленьким — «Нет» Українська: Бланк 10 квітня 1938. ("Референдум і Großdeutscher Reichstag; Бланк; Чи згоден ти з возз'єднанням Австрії з Німецьким Рейхом, що відбулося 13 березня 1938 і чи голосуєш за партію нашого лідера Адольфа Гітлера?; Так; Ні")
context_page_description: The Anschluss, also known as the Anschluss Österreichs, refers to the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
  The idea of an Anschluss began after the unification of Germany excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire in 1871. Following the end of World War I with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1918, the newly formed Republic of German-Austria attempted to form a union with Germany, but the Treaty of Saint Germain and the Treaty of Versailles forbade both the union and the continued use of the name "German-Austria"; and stripped Austria of some of its territories, such as the Sudetenland.
  Prior to the Anschluss, there had been strong support from people of all backgrounds in both Austria and Germany for unification of the two countries. In the immediate aftermath of the dissolution of the Habsburg Monarchy—with Austria left as a broken remnant, deprived of most of the territories it ruled for centuries and undergoing a severe economic crisis—the idea of unity with Germany seemed attractive also to many citizens of the political Left and Center.
context_section_description: The Anschluss was given immediate effect by legislative act on 13 March, subject to ratification by a plebiscite. Austria became the province of Ostmark, and Seyss-Inquart was appointed governor. The plebiscite was held on 10 April and officially recorded a support of 99.7% of the voters.
  While historians concur that the votes were accurately counted, the process was neither free nor secret. Officials were present directly beside the voting booths and received the voting ballot by hand (in contrast to a secret vote where the voting ballot is inserted into a closed box). In some remote areas of Austria, people voted to preserve the independence of Austria on 13 March (in Schuschnigg's planned but cancelled plebiscite) despite the Wehrmacht's presence. For instance, in the village of Innervillgraten, a majority of 95% voted for Austria's independence. However, in the plebiscite on 10 April, 73.3% of votes in Innervillgraten were in favor of the Anschluss, which was still the lowest number of all Austrian municipalities. Although there is no doubt that the plebiscite result was manipulated and rigged, there was unquestionably a lot of genuine support for Hitler for carrying out the Anschluss.
  Austria remained part of Germany until the end of World War II. A provisional Austrian government declared the Anschluss "null und nichtig" (null and void) on 27 April 1945. Henceforth, Austria was recognized as a separate country, although it remained divided into occupation zones and controlled by the Allied Commission until 1955, when the Austrian State Treaty restored its sovereignty.
caption: Voting ballot from 10 April 1938. The ballot text reads "Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich that was enacted on 13 March 1938, and do you vote for the party of our leader Adolf Hitler?" The large circle is labelled "Yes", the smaller "No".
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