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Period: to
The Road to WW II
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Invasion of the Rhineland
Hitler took considerable risks in moving into the Rhineland.Frace would send troops to resist the German forces.The German army was not ready for war.If the French had sent army into the Rhineland they could easily have outnumbered the German forces.Germany promised not to arrack its western neighbours,he garantee that Belgium and France would not be affected. -
"The Anscluss"
The Austrian leader,Schuschnigg,visited Hitler for crisis talks in Germany in February 1938.There they had a discusion and Hitler got angry because he wanted Nazis to be allowed to paricipate inm goverment.Schuschnigg didn`t know what to do about this. -
The Plebiscite
Schuschnigg fixed the lowest age of voting at twenty-four,so that young Nazis would not be able to vote.Hitler was enraged when he heard about the plebiscite plan.He ordered the army to invade before the plebiscite.On 11 March 1938 the German army invaded Austria. -
France and Czechoslovakia treaty.
The government of Czechoslovakia looked to Britain and France fot help.British leaders had no treaty with Czechoslovakia.
France had signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia in 1925.This said that France would give Czechoslovakia military help if it was attacked by Germany. -
Getting ready for war
Hitler was sure that neither Britain not France would intervene if he attacked Czechoslovakia.In April he visited Rome and was told by Mussolini that Italy would support Germany.
The British and the Frace governments reacted to the crisis by putting pressure on the Czechoslovaks to make concessions.The British government set a politician to Czecholovakia in July to try to work out a settlement between the two sides. -
Hitler with Chamberlain at Munich
Chamberlai met Hitler in Germany at Berchtesgaden on 15 September.Hitleer complained to Chamberlain about the treatment of the Sudeten Germans.
They agreed that the Sudetenland should be annexed by Germany.
Chamberrlain asked Hitler not to use force to take control.
Hitler did not want a peaceful settlement.He wanted to destroy Czechoslovakia. -
War or not War?
At this point a war between Britain and Germany seemed a real possibility.
Chamberlain tried once again to get Hitler to find a peaceful solution.Hitler was not in a good mood for negotiation. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich conference began on 29 September.A day later the British and French Prime Ministers agreed with Hitler on the terms of the annexation of the Sudetenland.Czechoslovakia was not represented at the conference.The conference did not involve andy real negotiations.
On 1 October German troops marched unopposed into the SUdetenland. -
The Sudeten Germans
There were about 3million German speakers in Czechoslovakia.They were known as Sudeten Germans and were concentrated in the border areas.The local Nazi leader,Knorad Henlien,led a political (The Sudeten German party)that recived money from Hitler.Henlein claimed that Sudeten Germans were not treated fairly.He took part in the negotiations with the Czechoslovakia goverment but these got nowhere.Hitler met Henlein on 28March1938 to give him instructions.He hoped to create a crisis in Czechoslovaki
