The German Path to War

The German Path to War

Period: Jan 1, 1932 to Jan 1, 1940

Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany

Jan 30, 1933

Hitler announces creation of new airforce

Mar 9, 1935

Hitler begins military draft

Mar 16, 1935

Draft would expand Germany's army from 100,000 to 550,000 troops

Hitler sends troops into the demilitarized Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

• Direct violation of the Versailles Treaty
• France had the right to use force against any violation of the demilitarized Rhineland, but would not action without support from Great Britain
• Great Britain viewed the occupation of German territory by German troops as another reasonable action by the dissatisfied power
• Policy of appeasement - diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to an aggressor

Rome-Berlin Axis

Oct 1, 1936

• Hitler makes agreement with Mussolini
• Agreement recognized the two leaders common political and economic interests
• Mussolini welcomed Hitler's support as the two had common enemies - Great Britain and France
• One month later Mussolini spoke publicly of the new alliance between Italy and Germany - known as the Rome-Berlin Axis

Hitler and Nazi Germany achieve diplomatic revolution in Europe

Dec 31, 1936

• By the end of 1936, Hitler had achieved diplomatic revolution in Europe
• The Treaty of Versailles had been totally broken by Hitler and Germny
• Hitler claimed Germany was once more a "World Power"
• He was convinced neither Great Britain or France would provide much opposition to his plans

Austria annexed into the German Third Reich

Mar 13, 1938

• Hitler achieved one of his longtime goals- Anschluss (union) with Austria, his birth country and Gemany
• By threatening Austria with invasion, Hitler forced the Austrian chancellor to put Austrian Nazis in charge of the government
• No reaction from France or Great Britain

Hitler demands the Sudetenland

Sep 15, 1938

• Hitler demanded the cession to Germany of the Sudetenland- an area in northwestern Czechoslovakia
• He claimed to be willing to risk "world war" to achieve his goal

The Munich Conference

Sep 29, 1938

• Conference held by British, Fench, Germans, and Italians
• Agreement made that met virtually all of Hitler's demands
• German troops were allowed to occupy the Sudetenland
• Hitler promises this to be his last demand- he was believed
• Munich Conference seen as the high point of western appeasement

Hitler occupies the Czech lands

Mar 15, 1939

• Hitler occupied the Czech lands (Bohemia and Moravia)
• With Hitler's encouragment, the Slovaks declared their independence of the Czechs and became a puppet state of Nazi Germany - now known as Slovakia
• Hitler declares in Prague that he would be known as the greatest German of all

Nonaggression pact signed with the Soviet Union

Aug 23, 1939

• Hitler agrees to give Stalin control of eastern Poland and the Baltic states as a means to achieve the agreement with the Soviet Union
• The treaty gave Hitler the freedom to attack Poland
• The Japanese are not included

German forces invade Poland

Sep 1, 1939

• German forces invaded Poland

Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

Sep 3, 1939