Chapter 96 Chapter 16 Returning to Hometown (2)

It took Schuschniger three full days to get the agreement approved by his colleagues and President Miklas.It was Sunday when the chancellor returned to Vienna, and on Tuesday afternoon, the 15th agreement was about to expire.He immediately consulted with Miklas.The president agreed to amnesty the Nazis in custody, but strongly opposed the appointment of Seth-Inquart as Secretary of the Interior. "I can give him other jobs," he said. "The police and the army must not be given to him." News of the secret meeting in Berchtesgaden quickly spread throughout Austria's unofficial parliaments—cafés large and small.A mood of unease emerged across the country.There was a spat among the cabinet members, some said that Schuschnigg should make known Hitler's brutal tactics at the Berghof; others praised the chancellor for his caution.Twenty-four hours before Hitler's ultimatum expired, an emergency meeting was held in the President's Office as there were still many opinions.In addition to the two protagonists, the meeting was attended by the mayor of Vienna, the president of the National Bank and a former prime minister.After revisiting the situation, Schuschnigg proposed three solutions: re-elect a chancellor, which would free him from the obligations made at the Berghof; implement the agreement under a new chancellor; Schneiger led the implementation of the agreement.

The room was filled with desperation as reports of German invasions continued from across the border, and the debate thereafter became not only heated but incoherent.Even the most unfeasible proposals, including ceding Hitler's hometown of Braunau to Germany, were also put forward.Schuschnigg was convinced that if he refused to accept any of Hitler's demands, Hitler would invade Austria.Miklas finally succumbed to the pressure and reluctantly agreed to the Chancellor's third proposal: keep Schuschnigg in office and accept the Treaty of Berchtesgaden. The Führer's charades at the Berghof and his mock invasion on the frontier scared the Austrians into capitulation.That night, the new cabinet was sworn in.The next day, February 15, part of the truth of the matter was secretly circulated to the various Austrian representations abroad.The notice was sent in a plain-text telegram, which stated that because Germany would demand further increases and Hitler verbally exerted pressure, there had been "sharp differences" between Germany and Austria in Berchtesgaden, and only after many hours of negotiations Only then did the basis for the agreement be found.The Austrian government was afraid that the above-mentioned words would be too strong, and immediately sent a supplementary telegram, ordering the recipient to "use the difficulty of the Berchtesgaden talks mentioned in the previous telegram as a personal reference only."

In Vienna, there was growing public demand for Schuschnigg to reveal the truth about the Berchtesgaden talks.However, as he had pledged to remain silent until Hitler's address to Reichstag on Sunday.He kept his word and kept his honor. The German legation called Berlin to say that because of the agreement's "political and economic consequences, there was considerable commotion in Vienna" and that the city was "like an ant's nest" and that "many Jews were preparing to emigrate."This was also confirmed by the secret police.A spy informed Heydrich on February 18 that the Austrian chancellor was under strong pressure from both Jews and Catholics. "Jewish attacks, mainly through the stock exchange, put pressure on the currency. Since February 17, 1938, capital outflows have caused Austrian stocks to fall sharply in Switzerland and London, as well as in other countries. Large quantities of Austrian currency have been illegally smuggled out of the country, The stock exchange has not opened since last night."

On February 20, Hitler delivered a long-awaited speech to the Reichstag, which was also broadcast throughout Austria.After declaring that he and Schuschnigg had "contributed to the cause of peace in Europe," Hitler accused Austria of mistreating the "German minority" within its borders."A self-conscious world power must not tolerate the constant suffering of its own countrymen at its side simply because they sympathize with and maintain solidarity with the entire Germanic nation and its ideology," he said. His eloquence, citing facts and figures, enthralled most of the Crown audience. "During the sonorous speech, his voice rose to the point of ecstasy: he is a man possessed and transfigured. We have before us a spectacle." These words did not come from a German, but from a It was the British observer Major Francis Izz Brown.

In Vienna, "in the course of never-ending lectures," the journalist G. E． R．Geddie wandered the streets to see how the crowd reacted to it.This is a city of the dead.In the busiest downtown area, he only saw 10 people listening to the radio seriously. The local Nazis expressed their delight at Hitler's public appearance.Shortly after Hitler's speech, they chanted repeatedly in unison: "Hurray for victory! Cheer for victory! Heil Hitler! Long live Hitler!" Geddi hailed a taxi and went to the German Legation.This is the focal point of the event.When he was approaching the legation, he heard rhythmic shouts of "Cheers for victory!" "From a distance, the first thing you hear is a rhythmic vibration, like a violent pulse; if you go further, you hear the inarticulate but uniform voice from some barracks. Shouts—ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! This mouth began to flow into the streets of Vienna."

In Rome, though the speech was viewed with a certain sympathy and understanding, there was also implicit concern that it did not secure Austria's independence.The German chargé d'affaires in Rome reported that the Italians were not happy that Hitler had violated the 1936 pact without consulting the Italians; if Berlin "continues to act recklessly in this way," it could mean " Axis" ends. Four days later, Schuschniger responded to Hitler.This answer was given in the opening statement of the Federal Parliament and broadcast to both countries.The stage of the parliament was decorated with many turnips in the Austrian colors red-white-red.Near the podium stands a bust of the late Dolphus.The prime minister walked up to the podium with his head held high, but his repressed look was that of a Jesuit scholar.Since word had been circulated in advance that his speech would be full of gunpowder, the crowd shouted "Schuchnigg! Schuschnigg!" The tone said, "Austria." This was another round of applause.Schuschnigg was deeply moved and spoke of those who fought for Austria's independence, from Empress Maria Theresa to Dolphus.His speeches were tear-jerking, never more forceful, never more fervent.Gone was the meek self-restraint of the intellectuals whom Hitler bullied at the Berghof.When he finally mentioned the Berchtesgaden agreement, his tone was firm. "We made concessions, and we came to an end, to the point where we had to stop and say, 'That's all, nothing more.'" Then, he declared, "The slogan of Austria is neither nationalism nor socialism Doctrine, but patriotism!" The nation wants freedom, and for this the Austrians will have to fight to the end.He concluded his speech with the battle cry: "Red, white, red! Till death! Austria!"

All the members of the cabinet stood up abruptly and applauded him desperately.Their cheers were heard even outsiders.Someone took the lead in the song "God Bless"; the solo became a chorus, a roar.They also sang the uprising song "Andreas Hoffer" in Schuschnigg's hometown Hulohr.The enthusiasm in the streets extended across the country, creating a certain hope.Even Paris was infected.The next day, during the foreign policy debate in the French House of Commons, the French foreign minister declared that the independence of Austria "is an inseparable factor in the balance of Europe"; a congressman even predicted that "the fate of France will be determined by the banks of the Danube."

Throughout Austria, local Nazis began demonstrations.The center of the unrest was Graz, where the swastika was raised on the roof of the town hall during Schuschnigg's speech.In defiance of the government's ban on political gatherings, they announced a weekend rally attended by 65,000 party members across the country.Schuschnigg responded immediately, sending troops, bombers and armored vehicles to Graz.The Nazis shrank back and called off the rally, but that did little to comfort Schuschnigg.The riot should have been quelled by Seth-Inquart's police force, not the army.