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Invasion of the Rhineland
Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles by sending German military forces into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone along the Rhine River in western Germany. -
The Treaty of Versailles
In June 1919, there was a peace agreement that ended World War |. The peacemakers declared that in order for the World War | to end peacefully, all countries had to sign a treat. The Germans were ordered to sign the treaty drawn up by Allies. They were forced to take full responsibility for causing the war. -
Hitler takes control of Germany
Hitler was a powerful speaker who attracted a wide following of Germans desperate for change. He promised them a better life and a new and glorious Germany. The Nazis appealed especially to the unemployed, young people, and members of the lower middle class. In January 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor, the head of the German government, and many Germans believed that they had found a savior for their nation. -
The Munich Pact
It was an agreement in 1938 where Britain & France appeased Hitler by agreeing that Germany could annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Hitler’s forces invaded and took over Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was a nation that was sacrificed of the Munich Pact, which was an attempt to prevent Germany’s aims. Czechoslovakia was forced to surrender as it got taken over by Hitler and his forces. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
In April 1939, Russia, Britain and France met to form an alliance to defend Poland but by August 1939, Russia had swapped sides and made a pact with Germany. Through the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin and Hitler agreed not to go to war with each other and to split Poland between them. Hitler knew if he had the biggest totalitarian leader on his side nothing will stop him from taking over other countries. -
Invasion of Poland/Start of World War ||
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, standing by their guarantee of Poland's border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. -
Anschluss
Hitler wanted all German-speaking nations in Europe to be a part of Germany. In order to achieve this, he had Germany reunite with his native homeland, Austria. Although under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, however, Germany and Austria were forbidden to be unified. Hitler also wanted control of the largely German-speaking area within Czechoslovakia because Austria was alongside the border. He finally achieved what he wanted and had control of Austria.
