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Hitler took considerable risks in moving into the Rhineland. There was a good chance that France would send troops to resist the German forces and this would mean war. The German army was not ready for war. No one in Germany knew how the French would react. Many German generals were unhappy at Hitler's plan.The first troops into the Rhineland were ordered to retreat if they met with French. He refused.
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Instead of giving way, Hitler tried to show the world that the action in the Rhineland was reasonable.He proposed a 25-year agreement between Germany, France and Belgium: Germany promised not to attack its western neighbors.
On the day of the reoccupation Hitler spoke to the Reichstag. Again, his intention was to convince the world that the action in the Rhineland was not worth fighting for. He suggested that he was actually trying to build a new peaceful Europe. -
French ministers and generals met in emergency session on the day of the occupation.
In Britain hardly anyone wanted to go to war over the Rhineland. Many British people approved of what Hitler had done; this was German territory, and they thought the German army had a right to be there. -
March 29th, a nationwide referendum was held in which 99 percent of the registered voters in Germany went to the polls and gave a 98.8 percent "Ja" vote approving Hitler's reoccupation of the Rhineland. The Führer had reached new heights of popularity.
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In early 1938 Austria was in a state of crisis. Local Nazis were making life difficult for the government of Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg. In January 1938 it was discovered by the Austrian authorities that there was a plot by Austrian Nazis to create chaos in Austria by killing the German ambassador. Austrian Nazis hoped that in the turmoil the German government would take over Austria.
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Hitler raved and shouted at him for two hours. He demanded that Nazis be allowed to join the Austrian government and be given control of law and order. Schuschnigg felt that he had no option and agreed to Hitler's terms. When Schuschnigg got back to Austria he was in a difficult situation. He took very seriously Hitler's threat of force unless Nazis were given more power in Austria.There was no chance of help from abroad.The British had made it clear that they would not stop a German take-over
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On 9 March Schuschnigg made one last desperate attempt to keep Austria independent. He announced that there would be a plebiscite, or referendum, in Austria to decide whether Austrians wanted their country to remain independent. He fixed the lowest age of voting at twenty-four, so that young Nazis would not be able to vote.
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German army invaded Austria.
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Hitler himself crossed into Austria.
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Henlein and the sudeten german nazis are instructed to make demands to the government to create a crisis instability
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The government of Czechoslovakia looked to Britain and France for help. British had no treaty with Czechoslovakia.
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French Prime Minister Daladier comes to power. Wants to avoid war.
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Hitler decides to smash Czechoslovakia by militay action in the future. The British and the French governments reacted to the crisis and them put in pressure on the czechoslovaks to make concessions.
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British Government spend politician Lord Runciman to Czechoslovakia to try to work out a settlement between the two sides. He recommends Britain that the sudetenland should be separated.
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Henlein ordered local Nazis to attack Czechoslovakia and jewish targets. Henlein left czechoslovakia. Chamberlain met Hitler in germany. Fuhrer complains of the mistreatment of sudeten germans, the Lord agrees with him that the sudetenland should be annexed by Germany, peacefully.
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Benes realised that he was powerless to resist without allied support so he agreed to take-over.
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Hitler did not want a peacful settlement, he wanted to detroy Czechoslovakia by force. Britain, France and Czechoslovakia accepted the proposals. Hitler made new demands: Germans take over should be quickly, there should be votes on wheter to stay in Czechoslovakia in additional areas that the calaims of Hungary and Poland to toher parts of Czechoslovakia needed consideration. Chamberlain returned to London.
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Chamberlain wanted to het Hitler a peaceful solution, he sent Wilson to talk to him. Hitler was not in a mood for negotiation. Hitler want to do all with the violence
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Hitler agreed to a conference in Munich with representatives of Britain, France and Italy. try to hace a peaceful solution to the crisis of Czechoslovakia.
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Munich conference. Britain and France did not give Hitler what he wanted.
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German troops marched unopposed into the Sudetenland. Benes goes into exile.
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Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact, stunning the world, given their diametrically opposed ideologies. But the dictators were, despite appearances, both playing to their own political needs. Both sides were extremely suspicious of the other, trying to discern ulterior motives he knew if he was to invade Poland it had to be done quickly.
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Hitler invades Poland.
