The Road to World War II

Reintroduction of Conscription in Germany

Jun 1, 1935

In 1935 Hitler reintroduced conscription of men into the armed forces.
In the same year he revealed that he had built up an air-force and signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement that allowed him to enlarge his naval forces.

Remilitarization of the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

In 1936 Hitler boldly marched 22,000 German troops into the Rhineland, in a direct contravention of the Treaty of Versailles. They were not ready for war, and Hitler ordered retreat if opposed by the French. But they met no resistance and the remilitarization was successful.

Spanish Civil War

Period: Jul 17, 1936 to Apr 1, 1939

Rome-Berlin Axis

Oct 25, 1936

Coalition formed in 1936 between Italy and Germany, an agreement formulated by Italy’s foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano informally linking the two fascist countries.

Anti-Comintern Pact

Nov 25, 1936

The Anti-Comintern Pact was an anti-communist pact concluded between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan on November 25, 1936 and was directed against the Communist International (Comintern).

Austrian State Visit to Germany

Feb 12, 1938

Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg conducted a visit to Berchtesgaden to meet with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. The Austrian leader encountered a harsh reception from his German hosts as Chancellor Hitler demanded amnesty for imprisoned National Socialist leaders in Austria, greater freedom of action for National Socialists, and the inclusion of National Socialists in the Austrian government. Under pressure, Chancellor Schuschnigg agreed to these demands and promised to end his opposition t

Announcement of the Plebiscite

Mar 9, 1938

On the 9 March 1938, in a desperate act, Schuschnigg announced a referendum whereby the Austrian people would decide for themselves if they wanted to be a part of Hitler's Germany. Hitler was furious. If the Austrians voted against joining Germany his excuse for invasion would be ruined.

Resignation of Schuschnigg

Mar 10, 1938

Hitler told his generals to prepare for the invasion of Austria. He ordered Schuschnigg to call off the referendum. Knowing he would receive no help from Italy, and that France and Britain would not interfere in Hitler's plans, Schuschnigg conceded. He called off the referendum and resigned.
The Nazi Austrian Interior Minister, Seyss-Inquart, was ordered by Hitler to ask for German help in restoring order in Austria.

German take-over of Austria

Mar 12, 1938

German troops marched into Austria unopposed. Hitler now had control of Austria. A month later, Hitler held a rigged referendum. The results showed that the Austrian people approved of German control of their country.

Hitler's meeting with Henlein

Mar 28, 1938

In March 1938, Hitler ordered Henlein, the leader of the Sudeten German Party, to create a crisis in the country, Czechoslovakia. The Sudeten Germans made increasingly bold demands from the government. When the demands could not be met they insisted that they were being persecuted.

Daladier becomes French Prime Minister

Apr 10, 1938

The new French Prime Minister, Daladier, was not keen on the idea of going to war with Germany over Czechoslovakia

Hitler intimidates Czechoslovakia

May 20, 1938

In May 1938, Hitler moved his armies to the Czech border to intimidate the Czechoslovakian President, Benes. In response, Benes mobilised the Czech army into positions along the border.

Czechoslovak Publication of the Nationality Statute

Jul 28, 1938

After months of negotiations between the Czechoslovak government and the Sudeten Germans, the Hodza government published a draft of the Nationality Statute. The proposal was based on proportionality but fell short of Konrad Henlein's original demands in the Karlsbad Program. At the same time, the British government announced that it planned to send a mediator, Lord Runciman, to Prague, who recommended Great Britain that the Sudetenland should be separated.

Sudeten German Self-Determination

Sep 12, 1938

German Chancellor Adolf Hitler demanded in a speech in Nuremberg that the Czechoslovak government must accord Sudeten Germans the right of self-determination. These demands resulted in widespread political disorder in Czechoslovakia and the Hodza government declared martial law in an attempt to restore order on September 13th. Konrad Henlein and other Sudeten German leaders escaped across the border to Germany two days later. To defuse this dangerous situation, British Prime Minister Neville Cha

Anglo-German Conference at Berchtesgaden

Sep 15, 1938

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain flew to Germany and met with Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Chancellor Hitler demanded the annexation of the German regions of Czechoslovakia on the basis of self-determination and announced Germany's intentions to go to war to achieve this goal. Prime Minister Chamberlain and Lord Runciman returned to London to meet with French government leaders.

Anglo-French Conference in London

Sep 18, 1938

French Premier Edouard Daladier and Foreign Minister M. Bonnet traveled to London to met with British government leaders to devise a policy to meet the Sudeten Crisis. The two governments decided to advise and urge the Czechoslovak government to accept the German terms. In return, the British and French governments promised an international guaranty of the remaining Czechoslovak state.

Czechoslovak Acceptance of German Terms

Sep 21, 1938

Faced with little support from the British and French governments, the Czechoslovak government accepted the German terms, even though the Polish and Hungarian governments added their own claims for Czechoslovak territory. The Hodza government resigned on September 22nd, and General Jan Sirovy, a popular military leader, formed a new ministry.

Anglo-German Conference at Godesberg

Sep 23, 1938

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to Germany to meet with Chancellor Adolf Hitler at Godesberg to discuss the Czechoslovak government's concessions. Chancellor Hitler issued a new set of demands which included the immediate surrender of predominantly German regions without removal or destruction of military and economic materials and plebiscites, under Czechoslovak-German or international supervision, in areas with large German minorities by November 25th. Prime Minister Chambe

Czechoslovak Military Mobilization

Sep 24, 1938

Rejecting the German demands, the Czechoslovak government mobilized the army in preparation for war. This marked the most serious crisis to European peace since the outbreak of World War I.

Munich Conference

Sep 29, 1938

German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, Italian Premier Benito Mussolini and Foreign Minister Nobile Ciano, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and French Premier Edouard Daladier met in Munich to negotiate a settlement to the Sudeten Crisis (the Czechoslovak government was not represented). Chancellor Hitler received all that he demanded: the Czechoslovak government would evacuate German areas between October 1st and 10th, under conditions arranged by

Czechoslovak Acceptance of Munich Agreement

Sep 30, 1938

Given no other choice, the Sirovy government accepted the Munich settlement and began the evacuation of the Sudeten region. For all intensive purposes, the rump Czechoslovak state became a German satellite.

German Sudetenland

Oct 1, 1938

German troops marched unopposed into the Sudetenland

Resignation of Czechoslovak President

Oct 5, 1938

Eduard Benes resigned as the president of Czechoslovakia and departed the country, eventually settling in the United States. President Benes had been the target of German attack throughout the Sudeten Crisis.

Invasion of Poland/ World War II outbreak

Sep 1, 1939