U.S.-Austrian Relations in the Pre-Anschluss Period: FDR'S Unwillingness for War

This paper evaluates the United States' decision not to come to Austria's aid prior to and during the Anschluss of 12 March 1938. The uniqueness of this work is the two-front evaluation of both the internal/domestic affairs of the United States and the foreign policy of the US Government vis-à-vis Hitler's aggressive foreign policy. As this paper will show, Anschluss might have been prevented, but at a cost neither the United States nor European powers were willing to pay. The domestic situation in the United States was too fragile, as was the lack of public support for war for FDR to have any leeway in militarily aiding Austria. American, and to some degree European, opinion held that the Austrian question was a European matter, and to that end American domestic policy dominated foreign policy in hopes of reestablishing the United States economy prior to attempting to aid anyone else.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year

2007

Author dc:creator

• Berteau, John S.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bischof, Guenter
• Caldwell, Joe L.
• Cassimere Jr., Raphael

• Anschluss
• Austria
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Great Depression
• Interwar Diplomacy
• U.S. Foreign Relations

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/630

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-1630