Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart (born 22nd July 1892) is an Austrian and German veteran NSDAP politician, former (and last) prime minister of the Federal State of Austria, and Reichskommissar of Reichskommissariat Niederlande.
History
Early life
Arthur Seyss-Inquart was born in Stannern, which is located in present day Bohemia-Moravia. His family moved to Vienna when he was young, and he served in the First World War in the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Political career
Seyss-Inquart became a lawyer in the postwar period, and was closely involved with the ruling Fatherland Front. While not joining directly, he was a close ally of the Austrian NSDAP branch, and was considered to be their voice in the government. He began to believe in Heinrich Himmler's ideals of racial purity and sponsored many trips to Tibet and other parts of Asia in hopes of proving Aryan theories of racial purity.
Anschluss and rise to prominence
The German Reich began pressuring the Austrian Government to join them in 1938 under threat of invasion. When the Austrian prime minister resigned, Seyss-Inquart was chosen to succeed him. Seyss-Inquart immediately invited the German army to invade and annex Austria. Only then, after the annexation, did Seyss-Inquart join the NSDAP. Seyss-Inquart served as governor of the newly incorporated Austria, now known as Ostmark. He later was assigned to govern southern Poland, under Hans Frank in the General Governorate of the Vistula.
The Netherlands
Following the invasion of the Low Countries of Belgium and the Netherlands, Seyss-Inquart was appointed as Reichskommissar of Reichskommissariat Niederlande, a position he has served in for nearly 24 years.