German nationalism in Austria an independent Austria, rejected his merger proposal, Strasser said "Don't talk to me about Austria. There is no Austria ... there was once a living corpse which called itself Austria ... that this Austria collapsed in 1918 was a blessing ... particularly for the German people, who were thereby given the chance to create a Greater Germany." After this, tensions between the Nazis and Austrofascists worsened, culminating in the July Putsch of 1934, when Nazis attempted to overthrow the government. Whilst they managed to assassinate chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, the putsch was quickly crushed by the police, army, and Heimwehren. In
Vice-Chancellor of Austria 1945. Vice-Chancellor of Austria The Vice-Chancellor of Austria (German: "Vizekanzler") is a member of the Federal Government and the deputy of the Chancellor. The current Vice Chancellor of Austria is Heinz-Christian Strache, in office since 2017. Art. 69(2) of the Constitution of Austria states: In practice, the Vice-Chancellor is normally the leading member of the junior party within the current coalition government, frequently the party chairman. If only one party is represented in the government, the Vice Chancellor is often the Chancellor's presumed successor. Austria annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 (see Austria under National Socialism for details). Independence restored