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Sudetenland
The Sudetenland was part of Germany until 1806 and of the German Confederation between 1815 and 1866. After the First World War the Sudetenland (some 11,000 square miles) became part of Czechoslovakia. -
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was created in 1918 from territory that had previously been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As well as the seven million Czechs, two million Slovaks, 700,000 Hungarians and 450,000 Ruthenians there were three and a half million German speaking people living in Czechoslovakia. -
Hitlers Rise to power
•To destroy the Treaty of Versailles
•To unite all German speaking people
•To create living space (Lebensraum)
•To rearm
•Nazi Soviet pact
•to return germany colonies -
Period: to
during ww2
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Germany's withdrawl from the league of nations
Stresemann negotiated German admission to the League in 1925 (with effect from 1926), and Hitler pulled Germany out in 1933 as a protest against the disarmament conference in progress at the time. -
Germany's rearment
Hitler annouced that gernany would build what military forces it chose. In june he signed an agreement with the British that they would expand its navy with or without a treaty and relucktintly signed an agreement to Hitlers naval expanchion on june 18, 1935 simaler agreemnts with France and the Soviet Union followed. -
Italy invades Ethiopia
The Italian invasion of Ethiopia was initiated in the month of October 1935. It was a brief colonial war that is also remembered in history as the second Italo-Abyssinian war. Mussolini, who was the leader of Italy, had his eye set on annexing Ethiopia into Italy’s newly created colony of East Africa. Although the Italian military was successful in occupying Ethiopia, the Abyssinians did not capitulate or surrender to the Italian forces. -
Policy of Appeasement
During the 1930's Britain and France let Hitler have whatever they
considered necessary to preserve peace in Europe. They believed that
Hitler had certain aims and that once he had achieved these he would
be satisfied. So they allowed him to re-arm, invade the Rhineland
(1936), complete the Anschluss of Austria (1938) followed by the
Sudetenland. Appeasement assumed Hitler would keep his side of the
bargain. -
The Rhineland
In March 1936, Hitler took what for him was a huge gamble - he ordered that his troops should openly re-enter the Rhineland thus breaking the terms of Versailles once again. He did order his generals that the military should retreat out of the Rhineland if the French showed the slightest hint of making a military stand against him. This did not occur. Over 32,000 soldiers and armed policemen crossed into the Rhineland -
Austria (Anschluss)
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the First World War, the majority of the German speaking people in Austria wanted to unite with the new German Republic. However, this was forbidden by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. -
Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact
In 1939, Adolf Hitler was preparing for war. Though he was hoping to acquire Poland without force (as he had annexed Austria the year before), Hitler was planning against the possibility of a two front war. Since fighting a two front war in World War I had split Germany's forces, it had weakened and undermined their offensive; thus, played a large role in Germany losing the First World War. Hitler was determined not to repeat the same mistakes. So, he planned ahead and made a pact with the Sovie -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War(1936-39), was a military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, a great number -
Decleration of War on Germany by Great Britain and France
Britain and France had sworn to defend Poland. Honoring these obligations, the two countries sent ultimatums to Hitler demanding his withdrawal from Poland. Hitler declined to respond. On September 3, Prime Minister Chamberlain went to the airwaves to announce to the British people that a state of war existed between their country and Germany. World War II had begun. -
Invasion of Poland
One of Adolf Hitler's first major foreign policy initiatives after coming to power was to sign a nonaggression pact with Poland in January 1934. This move was not popular with many Germans who supported Hitler but resented the fact that Poland had received the former German provinces of West Prussia, Poznan, and Upper Silesia under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. However, Hitler sought the nonaggression pact in order to neutralize the possibility of a French-Polish military alliance
