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The 1930's: The road to war

  • Wall Street crash

    The American stock market crashed and sent the USA into a disastrous economic depression. In a very short time, the countries around the world began to feel the effects of this depression. Germany was particularly badly affected.
  • Japan invaded Manchuria

    An accident in Manchuria gave the Japanese the opportunity to expand the Japanese Empire. China claimed the League to intervine, but this was powerless.
  • British depression

  • Hitler become Chancellor

    Hitler end up as Chancellor not because of the will of the German people, but through a behind-scenes deal by some German aristocrats. Both Hindenburg and von Papen were sure that they could control Hitler. Both were very wrong.
  • Period: to

    The reichstag Fire

    On February the Reichstag building burnt down. Hitler blamed de communists and declared that the fire was the beginning of a Communist uprising. Many Germans at the time thought that the Nazis might have started the fire themselves.
  • The Reichstag Fire

    The Reichstag building burnt down. Hitler blamed the Communists and declared that the fire was the beginning of a Communist uprising. Many Germans at the time thought that the Nazis might have started the fire themselves.
  • Hitler took complete control

    After Hindenburg died, Hitler took over as Supreme Leader of Germany. The entire army swore an oath of personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler ad Fuhrer of Germany.
  • End of democracy

    There was supposed to be no room for opposition of any kind in Nazi Germany. The aim was to create a totalitarian state, where there can be no rival parties, no political debate.
  • Hitler and the Versailles settlement

    Hitler believed that the treaty of Versailles was unjust. He hated the treaty.
  • Germany was making aircraft and warships

  • Italy conquered Abyssinia

  • Hitler troops invaded The Rhineland

    Hitler took his first really big risk by moving into the Rhineland. They had orders to pull out if the French acted against them. Germany's army was no match for the French army.
  • Spanish Civil war broke out

    A civil war broke out in Spain between Communists, who were supporters of the Republican government, and right-wing under General Franco.
  • The German army invaded Austria

    Hitler sent his troops into Austria, supposedly to guarantee a trouble-free plebiscite. He took control over Austria.
  • Appeasement

    A policy was signed in order to pospone war and satisfy Hitler's demands and wishes.
  • Agreement of the Sudetenland

    The French and the British put to the Czechs theis plans to give Hitler the parts of the Sudetenland that he wanted. But three days later Hitler, at a second meeting, increased his demands. He wanted all the Sudetenland
  • The end of Appeasement

    With Czechoslovakia in chaos, German troops took over the rest of the country. There was no resistance from the Czechs . For Chamberlain it was a step too far.
  • The Nazi-Soviet Pact.

    Stalin made his decision. Hitler and Stalin, the two arch enemies, signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact and announced the terms to the world. They agreed to divide Poland between them,
  • Invasion of Poland and outbreak of war.

    On 1 September they invided Poland from the west, on 17 September they invided Poland from the east. Poland soon fell.
    On 2 September France and Britain declared war on Germany.