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Period: to
WWII
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Hitler 1935
Hitler began to defy the Treaty of Versailles that had ended WWI. He said that Germany would build a new air force and begin a military draft that would expand the army. -
Anschluss
Hitler sent troops into Austria in March because they had to announce Anschulss, or unification of Austria and Germany. -
Sudetenland
Hitler next announced German claims to the Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia with a large German-speaking population. -
Munich Conference
Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to meet in Munich to decide Czechoslovakia's fate. At the Munich Conference, Britain and France agreed to HItler's demands, a policy that came to be known as appeasement, or an exchange for peace. -
Danzig
Hitler demanded that the city of Danzig be returned to German control. Although Danzig was more than 90% German, it had been part of Poland since WWI. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
When Germany officials proposed a nonagression 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 it worked, Germany would go to war against britain and France and the USSR would be safe. It was signed by Germany and the USSR on August 23rd, 1939. -
Poland, Britain, France
On September 1st, 2939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. WWII had begun. -
Poland Fell
Poland resisted Germany's onslaught, but its army was outdated. The polish army could not repel the attack. By October 5th, 1939, the Germans had defeated the Polish military. It happened because Germany wanted to defeat Poland. -
"Phony War" or "Bore War"
Poland remained quiet. The German's referred to it as the "sitting war." The British called it the "Bore War" and America called it the "Phony War." It happened because they were all waiting for the German to attack. -
Invasion of France
The French built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line along the German border. The French waited behind the Maginot Line for Germans to attack. To get around the Maginot Line, the Germans would have to invade the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg first, which is what they did. It all happened because they ended up getting trapped in Belgium because their plan failed to hide from the Germans. -
Evacuation at Dunkirk
After the Allied Forces were trapped in Belgium, The Germans drove them towards the English Channel.They had to evacuate their surviving troops by sea, but the Germans had captured all but one port, Dunkirk. Hitler suddenly ordered them to stop. No one knew why. It ended up with a three-day delay. British ended up saving 338,000 British and French troops. -
French Surrender
Hitler accepted the French surrender in the same railway car which the Germans had surrendered at the end of WWI. It happened because Hitler had been defeated. -
Battle of Britain
The German air force called the Luftwaffe, began to attack British shipping in the English Channel. The Luftwaffe ended up being launched to destroy to Royal Air Force. It happened because Germany wanted to take control of the English Channel. -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg means "lightning war." It was first used by the Germans during WWII and was used for speed and surprise and they needed light tank units supported by planes and infantry.
