Editing Arthur Seyss-Inquart (section)

== Head of Ostmark and Southern Poland ==
Seyss-Inquart
<nowiki> </nowiki>drafted the legislative act reducing Austria to a province of Germany 
and signed it into law on 13 March. With Hitler's approval he became 
Governor (''Reichsstatthalter'') of the newly named Ostmark, with [[Ernst Kaltenbrunner]] his chief minister and [[Josef Burckel]] as Commissioner for the Reunion of Austria (concerned with the "Jewish Question"). Seyss-Inquart also received an honorary ''[[Schutzstaffel|SS]]'' rank of Gruppenführer and in May 1939 he was made a Minister without portfolio in Hitler's cabinet.
<nowiki> </nowiki>Almost as soon as he took office, he ordered the confiscation of Jewish
<nowiki> </nowiki>property and sent Jews to [[concentration camp]]s. Late in his regime, he 
collaborated in the deportation of Jews from Austria.

Following the invasion of Poland, Seyss-Inquart became administrative chief for Southern Poland, but did not take up that post before the General Government was created, in which he became a deputy to the Governor General [[Hans Frank]].
<nowiki> </nowiki>He fully supported the heavy-handed policies put into effect by Frank, 
including persecution of Jews. He was also aware of the Abwehr's murder of dozens of Polish intellectuals.