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The Austrian Anschluss
Hitler called for the unification of all German speaking people, including those in Austria and Czechoslovakia. In Feb, 1938 Hitler threatened to invade German-speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts. Austria's chancellor gave in to the demand, but then tried to put the matter of unification with Germany to a democratic vote. Fearing the outcome Hitler sent in troops into Austria in March and announced "Anschluss" or unification of Austria and Germany -
The Munich Conference
Britain and France agreed to Hitlers demands, a policy that came to be known as appeasement. They made concessions in exchange for peace. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
a month after "The Munich Conference, Hitler demanded that the city of Danzig be returned to German control. Hitlers new demands convinced Britain and France that war was inevitable. March 31, 1939, Britain announced that they would aid Poland if they went to war. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
When German officials proposed a nonaggression treaty to the Soviets, Stalin agreed. He believed the best way to protect the USSR was to turn the capitalist nations against each other. If the treaty worked, Germany would go to war against Britain and France ,and the USSR would not be safe. The nonaggression pact, signed by Germany and the USSR on August 23, 1939, shocked the world
