Arthur Seyss-Inquart Biography
(Austrian Nazi Politician and Chancellor of Austria for 2-Days in March 1938 Before its Annexation)
Birthday: July 22, 1892 (Cancer)
Born In: Stonařov, Czechia
Arthur Seyss-Inquart was an Austrian politician affiliated with the Austrian National Socialist party and later the Nazi Party. He was appointed the Chancellor of Austria two days before the country’s annexation by Nazi Germany. Originally from the village of Stannern, Seyss-Inquart relocated to Vienna with his family. Later, he attended the University of Vienna, pursuing a degree in law. At the advent of World War I, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Army and received several military accolades for his actions on the battlefield. After the war, he set up a successful law practice and eventually joined politics. He rapidly rose through the ranks to become a leading figure in the Austrian National Socialist Party. In March 1938, he replaced Kurt Schuschnigg as the Austrian Chancellor. Following the German invasion, Austria was turned into the German province of Ostmark, and Seyss-Inquart became its governor. During his tenure as the Reichskommissar of the occupied Netherlands, a position to which he was appointed in May 1940, he unleashed a reign of terror that caused the extermination of a vast majority of Dutch Jews. Following the end of World War II, Seyss-Inquart was executed after being convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.