---
title: "Annexation of Austria — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The Anschluss (1938) was Nazi Germany's takeover of Austria, a Versailles violation Western powers allowed. Key evidence for appeasement in AP Euro Unit 8."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP European History"
unit: "Unit 8"
---

# Annexation of Austria — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The Annexation of Austria (Anschluss, March 1938) was Nazi Germany's incorporation of Austria into the Third Reich, violating the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France did nothing to stop it, making it a textbook example of appeasement and fascist expansion on the road to World War II.

## What It Is

In March 1938, [Hitler](/ap-euro/key-terms/hitler "fv-autolink") sent German troops into [Austria](/ap-euro/unit-4/enlightened-other-approaches-power/study-guide/8cP7fBYiiYKd6D392PzI "fv-autolink") and absorbed it into the Third Reich. This is called the Anschluss (German for "union" or "joining"), and it directly violated the Treaty of Versailles, which had banned a German-Austrian union precisely to keep Germany from getting bigger and stronger. Hitler framed it as uniting all German-speaking peoples into one nation, which made it sound like nationalism rather than conquest. Many Austrians actually cheered the takeover, which made it even easier for Western powers to look away.

For [AP Euro](/ap-euro "fv-autolink"), the Anschluss matters less as a single event and more as one step in a sequence. The CED lists it alongside the remilitarization of the Rhineland and Italy's invasion of Ethiopia as fascist expansion that European powers allowed to happen. Britain and France, terrified of another war like 1914-1918, chose appeasement, hoping that letting Hitler have Austria would satisfy him. It didn't. Six months later he demanded the Sudetenland, and within eighteen months Europe was at war.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in **Topic 8.7, Europe During the Interwar Period ([Unit 8](/ap-euro/unit-8 "fv-autolink"): 20th-Century Global Conflicts)**. It directly supports learning objective **8.7.A**, which asks you to explain how political and ideological factors caused World War II. The essential knowledge (KC-4.1.III.A) spells out the recipe. French and British fears of another war, [American isolationism](/ap-euro/key-terms/american-isolationism "fv-autolink"), and Western distrust of the Soviet Union all combined to let fascist states rearm and expand. The Anschluss is one of your three go-to pieces of evidence for that claim, along with the Rhineland and Ethiopia. If an essay prompt asks why appeasement failed or how fascism led to WWII, the annexation of Austria is concrete, dated evidence you can drop in immediately.

## Connections

### [Adolf Hitler (Unit 8)](/ap-euro/key-terms/adolf-hitler)

The Anschluss was Hitler's project from start to finish, and it was personal. He was born in Austria and built his [ideology](/ap-euro/key-terms/ideology "fv-autolink") around uniting all Germans into one Reich. The annexation shows his strategy of using nationalist rhetoric to make aggression look legitimate.

### [American Isolationism (Unit 8)](/ap-euro/key-terms/american-isolationism)

The U.S. response to the Anschluss was essentially nothing, and that was the pattern. American isolationism after WWI meant no outside power was willing to back up Versailles, which left Britain and France to choose between confrontation and [appeasement](/ap-euro/key-terms/appeasement "fv-autolink"). They chose appeasement.

### [Benito Mussolini (Unit 8)](/ap-euro/key-terms/benito-mussolini)

[Mussolini](/ap-euro/key-terms/mussolini "fv-autolink") had actually blocked an earlier Anschluss attempt in 1934 by moving troops to the Austrian border. By 1938 he and Hitler were allies, so Italy stood aside. That shift shows how the fascist powers consolidated before the war, and how Mussolini's own unpunished invasion of Ethiopia helped normalize expansion.

### [Ideology (Unit 8)](/ap-euro/key-terms/ideology)

The Anschluss is extreme nationalism in action. Hitler justified it as self-determination for German speakers, twisting a Wilsonian idea from the Versailles settlement into a tool for fascist expansion. The CED frames WWII as the product of exactly this kind of ideological aggression meeting Western inaction.

## On the AP Exam

On multiple choice, the Anschluss shows up in questions testing whether you know the basic facts (it happened in 1938, Hitler was responsible) and, more often, whether you can connect it to appeasement. A classic stem asks which policy of the European powers allowed Germany to annex Austria, and the answer is appeasement. Expect it inside stimulus questions about interwar diplomacy, often paired with the Rhineland or the Munich Conference. No released FRQ has used this term verbatim, but it's exactly the kind of specific, dated evidence that earns points on an LEQ or DBQ about the causes of World War II or the failure of collective security. The move you need to make is causal. Don't just name the event; explain that Western inaction at each step (Rhineland 1936, Ethiopia 1935-36, Austria 1938) convinced Hitler he could keep going.

## Annexation of Austria vs Munich Agreement / Sudetenland annexation

Easy to mix up because both happened in 1938 and both involved Hitler grabbing German-speaking territory. The Anschluss (March 1938) was the takeover of all of Austria, done by military occupation with no negotiation and no formal Western response. The Munich Agreement (September 1938) came afterward, when Britain and France actively negotiated away the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. Austria was appeasement by inaction; Munich was appeasement by agreement. Munich is the one with Neville Chamberlain and "peace for our time."

## Key Takeaways

- The Anschluss was Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria in March 1938, which Hitler justified as uniting all German-speaking peoples into one Reich.
- It directly violated the Treaty of Versailles, which had specifically banned a union between Germany and Austria.
- Britain and France did not intervene, making the Anschluss a core example of appeasement and of fascist expansion that Western powers allowed (KC-4.1.III.A).
- It belongs to a sequence of unchecked aggression, after the remilitarization of the Rhineland and Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, and each unpunished step encouraged the next one.
- On the exam, use the Anschluss as causal evidence that the failure of appeasement, combined with fascism and extreme nationalism, led to World War II.

## FAQs

### What was the Annexation of Austria (Anschluss)?

It was Nazi Germany's takeover of Austria in March 1938, incorporating it into the Third Reich. Hitler framed it as uniting German speakers, but it violated the Treaty of Versailles and went unchallenged by Britain and France.

### Did Austria resist the Anschluss?

No, not in any military sense. German troops entered without a fight, and large crowds of Austrians actually welcomed the annexation, which made it easier for Western powers to justify doing nothing.

### How is the Anschluss different from the Munich Agreement?

The Anschluss (March 1938) was the takeover of Austria with no negotiation at all, while the Munich Agreement (September 1938) was a formal deal where Britain and France handed Hitler the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Austria was appeasement through inaction; Munich was appeasement on paper.

### Why did Britain and France allow Germany to annex Austria?

Appeasement. After the trauma of World War I, they feared another war more than they feared Hitler, and American isolationism plus Western distrust of the Soviet Union meant no coalition existed to stop him. The CED (KC-4.1.III.A) names exactly these factors.

### Is the Annexation of Austria on the AP Euro exam?

Yes. It appears in Topic 8.7 under learning objective 8.7.A as one of the CED's listed examples of fascist expansion allowed by European powers, alongside the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. It's strong evidence for any essay on the causes of World War II.

## Related Study Guides

- [8.7 Europe During the Interwar Period](/ap-euro/unit-8/europe-during-interwar-period/study-guide/dKUCP8hISShrFrl8cDTI)

## Structured Data

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria#resource","name":"Annexation of Austria — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-06-11T05:53:28.732Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"AP European History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria#term","name":"Annexation of Austria","description":"The Annexation of Austria (Anschluss, March 1938) was Nazi Germany's incorporation of Austria into the Third Reich, violating the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France did nothing to stop it, making it a textbook example of appeasement and fascist expansion on the road to World War II.","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/annexation-of-austria","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"AP European History Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What was the Annexation of Austria (Anschluss)?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It was Nazi Germany's takeover of Austria in March 1938, incorporating it into the Third Reich. Hitler framed it as uniting German speakers, but it violated the Treaty of Versailles and went unchallenged by Britain and France."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Did Austria resist the Anschluss?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, not in any military sense. German troops entered without a fight, and large crowds of Austrians actually welcomed the annexation, which made it easier for Western powers to justify doing nothing."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is the Anschluss different from the Munich Agreement?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Anschluss (March 1938) was the takeover of Austria with no negotiation at all, while the Munich Agreement (September 1938) was a formal deal where Britain and France handed Hitler the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Austria was appeasement through inaction; Munich was appeasement on paper."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why did Britain and France allow Germany to annex Austria?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Appeasement. After the trauma of World War I, they feared another war more than they feared Hitler, and American isolationism plus Western distrust of the Soviet Union meant no coalition existed to stop him. The CED (KC-4.1.III.A) names exactly these factors."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is the Annexation of Austria on the AP Euro exam?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. It appears in Topic 8.7 under learning objective 8.7.A as one of the CED's listed examples of fascist expansion allowed by European powers, alongside the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. It's strong evidence for any essay on the causes of World War II."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"AP European History","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 8","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/unit-8"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Annexation of Austria"}]}]}
```