Events leading up to WWII

By Mrs M
  • Period: to

    Pre-War Years

  • Hitler comes to power

    Adolf Hitler and the Nazis become the ruling the party in Germany. Hitler is named as the German Chancellor.

  • Germany invades the Rhineland

    The German army marched in to the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles. Britain allows this to happen as they are trying to avoid war.

  • Germany takes over the Sudetenland

    Neville Chamberlain agrees that Germany can keep the Sudetenland as there were many Germans living there.

  • Germany invades Czechoslovakia

    Chamberlain realises he cannot stop Hitler and starts to plan for war.

  • Chamberlain promises Poland that Britain will defend them

    Chamberlain promises that if Germany invade, Britain and France will help Poland.

  • Germany invades Poland

    Germany and their allies, Russia, invade Poland.

  • Hitler ignores British warnings

    Chamberlain demands that Germany withdraw from Poland, but Hitler ignores him.

  • Britain and France declare war on Germany

  • The Phoney War

    There was no real fighting fo rthe first few months of the war and it was not until May 1940 that the first battles happened.

  • Evacuation

    All through the winter of 1939, the British government worked hard to evacuate children form the cities to safe places in the countryside.