I've seen a couple of related articles on SF and was wondering what the people think here.

Do you see the Austrians as Germans or separate people?

In my opinion, Austrians are Germans, they speak German, have German culture, are by definition ethnic Germans, the only thing that separates them is being separate countries due to historical events in the 1800's, if Austria's luck had turned out different the Austrians would have unified Germany.

The Holy Roman Empire of the German nation was dominated by the German state Austria for centuries.

The German-speaking Austrians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire still considered themselves Germans, there was a huge pro-German movement in the empire among the Austrians.

In 1918, German-Austria as a rump state, attempted to join Germany but was forbid.

Austrian Hitler came to be leader of Germany in 1933 and in 1938 gave the Austrians an option to join Austria to the Reich and they said 'yes', the Anschluss was met with an overwhelming support.

A Greater Germany briefly existed.

After 1945, the Austrians denied being Germans merely to do with the stigma and taboo of the Third Reich, despite the fact that Hitler was Austrian by birth.

Opinions? Austrians are Germans, yes? no?