Object #12
Heil Salzburg! Salzburg wants the Anschluss!

Salzburger Volksblatt 51/119 (30 May 1921), p. 1

Austrian National Library, Vienna 

An important political event occurred a few days before Schönberg arrived at the Mattsee summer retreat; the populace voted on Salzburg’s Anschluss to the German Reich on 29 May 1921. The Christian-Social Party (in Mattsee headed by church chapter member and provincial councillor Daniel Etter) had in the forefield announced its alliance with the Großdeutschen and the National Socialists with the vision that “the national idea stands in the forefront and above all parties: the people want it!” (Deutsches Volksblatt 33/11625, 23 May 1921). The province of Tyrol had already announced its approval by a predominant majority of the Anschluss to Germany, to avert economic collapse, social impoverishment and imminent starvation with united strength – horror scenarios which spread as consequences of condemnation of the Paris treaties.    

The unofficial vote was also successful for its initiators in the Province of Salzburg; three days before Schönberg arrived in Mattsee, the Salzburger Volksblatt bore the headline “Heil Salzburg! Salzburg wants the Anschluss!” The city celebrated the election result with a large number of student fraternities, gymnastics clubs and choral societies, representatives of Pan-German organizations and torchbearers, all chanting the German national anthem. Even though 90% of the votes were for the Anschluss, the referendum had de facto no effect, especially since the aforementioned postwar agreements precluded practical consequences. With its German-national propaganda, the Christian Socialists significantly influenced the majority of the rustic populace, while they accused their political opponents (the Social Democrats) of lies and contortion. The sympathetic cliques in Mattsee benefitted from a strong presence of Christian-Social forces, which strengthened their sphere of influence not least from among the clergy.

Cf. Therese Muxeneder: Arnold Schönbergs Konfrontationen mit Antisemitismus (III), in: Journal of the Arnold Schönberg Center 16/2019. Edited by Eike Feß and Therese Muxeneder. Wien 2019, p. 165–254