THE OCCUPATION OF AUSTRIA ACCORDING TO THE AUSTRIAN PRESS (ANSCHLUSS 1938)

Authors : Ersel Kiraz

Pages : 1091-1129

Doi:10.54688/ayd.1748604

View : 35 | Download : 101

Publication Date : 2025-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study investigates how the 1938 annexation of Austria by Nazi Germanycommonly referred to as the Anschlusswas represented in the Austrian press. While previous scholarship has primarily examined the Anschluss through political, military, and ideological lenses, this research focuses on the ways it was legitimized and communicated to the public via contemporary newspapers. A content analysis of leading dailies such as Das Kleine Volksblatt, Kronen Zeitung, and Neues Wiener Journal reveals recurring motifs in Nazi propaganda: terms like “historic victory,” “liberation,” “will of the people,” and “inevitable destiny” were frequently employed to present the annexation as both legitimate and widely supported. The study demonstrates that Nazi Germany effectively utilized the press as a propaganda instrument, concealing military intervention, societal coercion, and censorship, and instead portraying the annexation as the genuine will of the Austrian people. Furthermore, certain newspapers sought to reinforce the unification’s legitimacy by invoking Catholic identity and nationalist sentiment. Ultimately, the press served as an ideological tool aligned with Nazi Germany’s political objectives, contributing to the propagandistic framing of the Anschluss.
Keywords : Gazetecilik, Medya, Basın, İşgal, Basın Tarihi

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