-
The takeover of Rhineland
On March 7th, 1936, Hitler and German troops make their way into Rhineland and demilitarize it. Hitler promised the French that it was just a German region that should be returned to Germany and that his occupation was not military in nature. The French and the British allies agreed with Hitler and Rhineland was returned back to Germany. Britain and France trusted that by giving Hitler Rhineland, Hitler would not become aggressive. The things Hitler did went against the Treaty of Versailles. -
The takeover of SAAR
SAAR is region rich in natural resources, so owning this region would make for a financially rich country. Germany couldn't benefit from its riches because it was located inside Rhineland, but Hitler knowing it was once apart of Germany, asked for it to be returned to them. Once again, the French and British allies agreed and Hitler took back SAAR. The region of SAAR that Germany had now occupied had originally been taken away from Germany as punishment for causing WWI, as well as Rhineland. -
Austrian Union
On March 12, 1938, Hitler wanted to unite Austria with Germany because they both had a strong connection with each other, but it was also to make Germany a larger, stronger and greater country. He promised the Austrians that he would rebuild a greater nation and take care of them. Britain and France were worried, but they agreed and Hitler moved into Austria. Hitler made sure everyone understood he had no intention of starting a war. -
Invasion of Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia
In 1938, Hitler wanted to unify Sudetenland with his now greater Germany and the allies accepted. The allies accepted Hitler's demands because they believed that the Treaty was very harsh and that Hitler should be cut some slack when it came to trying to regrow their economy. -
Munich Pact
The Munich Pact was an agreement concluded by Germany, Britain, France and Italy in 1938. Czechoslovakia was not present during this conference. The agreement allowed Germany to extend its territory into Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. The allies accepted his offer under the promise that he would no longer request for more territory in Europe, especially Poland. -
The Policy of Appeasement
The Policy of Appeasement was an agreement made with Hitler. The allied nations began to create this policy as Hitler began to take the countries. The policy was created in hopes of preventing another war. The allies believed that Hitler would be kept happy and would not want any other territories if he was given some land. They also believed that making peace with Hitler would keep him happy, preventing another war from breaking out that they couldn't afford to suffer the consequences of again. -
The takeover of Czechoslovakia
On March 15, 1939, the allies had come to realize that Hitler had lied and broke his promises. This was because Hitler and his troops walked into Czechoslovakia demanding that they surrender the entire country to him. This was the moment the allies realized they made a mistake. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed on August 23 of 1939. It was a deal made with Russia in order to take Poland. Hitler made the deal with Russia because if Germany marched into Poland, Russia would think that Hitler's next step would be to invade Russia. The pact made sure that both countries would benefit from the invasion, with Germany gaining the west side of Poland and Russia gaining the East. Both Germany and Russia knew that they would end up turning their backs on each other anyway. -
Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, Hitler and his troops, once again, marched into Poland. German units with thousands of tanks and airplanes broke through the Polish defenses along the border. Britain and France, standing by Poland, declared war on Germany on September 3rd. This invasion marked the beginning of WWII.
