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Period: to
Hitler's Rise
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Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
Description: On January 30th 1933, the previous president of germany, Paul Von Hindenburg, is appointing Hitler as chancellor of Germany. A few months later Hindenburg dies making Hitler supreme leader of Germany (Fuhrer).
Significance: This event is important because it is what set out a chain reaction of events involving Hitler’s aggressive foreign policies and his strong hatred of the Jewish race. -
Hitler leaves the League of Nations
Description: Not much after the rise of Hitler as Fuhrer, he decided to leave the League of Nations which was trying desperately to create a system in which disarmament would be a building block for peace. Countries that left for similar reasons were Japan and Italy. Significance: This event is important because it gives an idea of Hitler’s policies, which were completely the opposite of what the League was trying to achieve. -
Hitler signs non aggression pact with Poland / Mussolini halts Hitler from taking Austria
Description: In 1934, Mussolini halts Hitler’s desire to annex Austria into Germany(Anschluss/Lebensraum) by sending Italian troops to the Austrian border in case Germany ignored Italy’s ultimatum. -
Italy invades Ethiopia/Abyssinia
Description: Due to the great desire that Italy be viewed as an imperial power, Mussolini decided to ignore the League’s policies and attacked Ethiopia (Abyssinia). The League, deeply upset but powerless, imposed economic sanctions on Italy but these sanctions did not work due to Italy’s great resources acquired through autarky/self-sufficiency policy.
Significance: This event furtherly proves how ineffective the League was at the threat of war. -
Hitler 'remilitarises' Rhineland
Description: This satirical cartoon shows how useless and powerless the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles were at stopping Hitler’s rise. One of the major factors that contributed to Hitler’s rise involved other European countries not doing anything about it;
Significance: This event shows Hitler’s great strategic planning and ability to obtain what he wanted ‘without recurring to violence'. -
Rome-Berlin Axis formed
Description: The Rome-Berlin Axis was basically an alliance between Italy and Nazi Germany. This pact/alliance was also a chance for Hitler to get Germany out of isolation by joining a country that shared the same type of ideals.
Significance:The fact that Germany finally gets out of isolation notably changes the political situation in Europe, a situation that puts Germany back into one of Europe’s leading positions. -
Germany annexes Austria
Description: Austria’s annexation into Germany was Hitler’s second step to war. This is an important event in Hitler’s rise to power because it is the one thing Britain and France tried to avoid the most, and failed due to the League’s inaction.
Significance: Other than being merely a demonstration of Nazi Germany’s power and ability to annex great deals of land without no concrete reaction from the Allied Nations. With this annexation, Hitler's dream of a Lebensraum was fulfilling itself. -
Arms race-antisemitism grows in Nazi Germany
The image above is a manual containing different instructions on how to tell people’s races apart. The image also includes diagrams of family tree that supposedly show how the ‘Jew gene’ is passed on down from generation to generation. This anti-judeo-communist ideology was effectively transmitted to all Germans due to Hitler’s great eloquent speeches and his excellent propaganda, that inspired the purity of the Aryan Race (Goebbels: Minister of Illumination). -
Hitler signs non aggression pact with USSR
Description: This satirical cartoon from a British newspaper clearly gives us a good idea of the relationship between Hitler and Stalin; They were allies by convenience but not by any other mean. Their ideologies were different, their political/economic views even more; Significance: This is another example of Germany trying to get back into Europe’s big picture by creating alliances with super-powers. This is also a great example of ‘Realpolitik’, political decisions with power and recognition
