Anschluss
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Historians usually focus on 1930s Germany when analyzing National Socialism, but I believe pre-WWII Austria has just as much to teach us. In fact, studying Austria’s political environment during that era offers a fascinating lens for understanding modern politics. Between 1933 and 1939, Austria experienced a rapid shift from a fragile parliamentary democracy to an…
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On March 12, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed the neighboring country of Austria (Österreich). This event became known as the Anschluss. The German term Anschluss means “connection” or “joining.” By annexing Austria, Nazi Germany violated both the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint‑Germain‑en‑Laye, which explicitly prohibited the unification of Germany and Austria. The Anschluss…
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On September 15, 1935, the Nazi regime announced the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor (‘Gesetz zum Schutze des deutschen Blutes und der deutschen Ehre’). The law forbade sexual relations and marriages between Germans classified as so-called ‘Aryans’ and Germans classified as Jews. “–Section 1 Section 2Sexual relations outside marriage between…
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This is the remarkable story of Edith Hahn Beer (Vienna, January 24, 1914 – London, March 17, 2009), an Austrian Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust by adopting a false identity and marrying a member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Her incredible tale of survival serves as a testament to human resilience and the complexity…
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The picture above is of Franz Jägerstätter and his wife Franziska Schwaninger on their wedding day Thursday April 9, 1936, the day before good Friday known as Holy Thursday. Prior to Franz meeting his wife he had a bit of a reputation. A native of Radegund, near Salzburg. In his younger years he was regarded…
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Music is one of my biggest passions, it has helped mte through many tragedies in my life and it still plays a very important part in my life. Something that worries me is when music is used for political reasons or when musicians make political statements. They are of course entitled to have political views…
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Who hasn’t heard of the Sound of Music, an immensely popular movie about the von Trapp family. But behind the idyllic portrayal of the family lies a darker origin. I will not focus on the singing legacy in this blog but more on that ‘darker side of the story. Georg von Trapp’s first wive…
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It is often believed that the Austrians accepted the annexation lying down. For a big part that was true, however, not everyone was so enthusiastic about the “Anschluss.” Of Czech descent, Sindelar was born Matěj Šindelář in Kozlov, Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Jan Šindelář, a blacksmith, and his wife Marie (née Švengrová). Despite occasional claims that…
History of Sorts 
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