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Signing of the Nazi - Soviet Non - Aggression Pact - 23 August 1939 

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Signing of the Nazi - Soviet Non - Aggression Pact - 23 August 1939 

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- Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the Non - Aggression Pact that was to last for 10 years.
- It stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would not attack each other, and would resolve any problems between them in a friendly manner.

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Germans involvement in the Spanish Civil War   - 1937 

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Germans involvement in the Spanish Civil War   - 1937 

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- Hitler sent soldiers, equipment & warplanes to support the Spanish Nationalist forces.
- German planes made devastating raids on several Spanish cities, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.
- Hitler's involvement in Spain was designed in part to divert British & French attention from his plans for expansion into Eastern Europe. It also gave him the opportunity to test his army & airforce while fighting against alleged communists.
- As Hitler expected, the League of Nations took no action against Germany for its intervention in Spain.

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Weaknesses of The League of Nations - 1920s

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Weaknesses of The League of Nations - 1920s

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- The League of Nations was supposed to stop aggressor countries from attacking other countries.
- However, it failed to do so. It did nothing when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, and it also did not do anything when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935.

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- Britain and France declare war on Germany and start a naval blockade designed to hamper the Nazi economy.

World War II had begun.

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Germany invaded Poland - 1 September 1939

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Germany invaded Poland - 1 September 1939

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- On this day in 1939, German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland.
- The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. This was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery.

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Nazis take Czechoslovakia - 15/16 March 1939 

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Nazis take Czechoslovakia - 15/16 March 1939 

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- On 15 March 1939,  troops marched into Czechoslovakia. They took over Bohemia, and established a protectorate over Slovakia.
- Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia was the end of appeasement. The Munich Pact, which according to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had purchased “peace in our time,” was actually a mere negotiating ploy by the Hitler, only temporarily delaying the Fuhrer’s blood and land lust.

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- A settlement reached by Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy that permitted German annexation of the Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia.
- This seals the fate of Czechoslovakia, virtually handing it over to Germany in the name of peace.

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Germany announces 'Anschluss' (union) with Austria - 12/13 March 1938

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Germany announces 'Anschluss' (union) with Austria - 12/13 March 1938

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- Austrian Nazis conspired for the second time in four years to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany.
- On March 9, Schuschnigg called a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss,or “annexation,” once and for all.
- The result was overwhelming, ie. 99%, support for the annexation in both countries, but this revealed little of real German and Austrian sentiments as coercion most likely played a role in the voting.

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The Hossbach Memorandum - 5 November 1937

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The Hossbach Memorandum - 5 November 1937

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- Adolf Hitler held a secret conference in the Reich Chancellery during which he revealed his plans for the acquisition of Lebensraum, or living space, for the German people at the expense of other nations in Europe.
- The memorandum records Hitler's plans to occupy Austria & Czechoslovakia.
- It was believed that Hitler revealed his plans for war as well.

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- Japan began looking for allies who were comfortable with military aggression and likely to support Japan in the event of a military confrontation with the Soviet Union. Hitler hated communism and was pleased to accommodate Japan, and on 25 November 1936, Japan and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact.
- This added to the perception that the Western powers could trust Hitler, and made British & French intervention in Spain seem more remote.

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The Rome Berlin Axis - 25th October 1936

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The Rome Berlin Axis - 25th October 1936

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- Germany and Italy signed a formal alliance which came to be known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. This alliance contained a protocol committing Germany and Italy to follow a common foreign policy.
- Thereafter, Germany and her partners in military aggression would be known as the Axis powers.

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German troops occupy the Rhineland - 7 march 1936 

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German troops occupy the Rhineland - 7 march 1936 

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- Adolf Hitler knew that both France and Britain were militarily stronger than Germany,. However, he became convinced that they were unwilling to go to war, & were willing to compromise to avoid another disaster like World War I. He therefore decided to break another aspect of the Treaty of Versailles by sending German troops into the Rhineland.
- Hitler gambled that the western powers would not intervene. His action brought condemnation from Great Britain and France, but neither nation intervened to enforce the treaty as they wanted to keep the peace in Europe.
- The League of Nations, busy with the Abyssinian crisis, also did nothing.

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Germany's military conscription - 16 March 1935

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Germany's military conscription - 16 March 1935

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- Adolf Hitler openly held a huge rearmament rally. Hitler felt strong enough to go public on Nazi Germany’s military expansion – which broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty.
- Hitler increased the size of the Germany Army, started building warships, & created an airforce.
- The other nations let him get away with it – Britain even made a naval agreement with Germany, accepting that Germany had a right to have a navy of 35% of the British navy (i.e. this broke the Treaty, which said that Germany could only have 6 battleships).

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Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany - 30 January 1933

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Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany - 30 January 1933

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- On the night of January 30, 1933, the Nazis organized a massive torchlight parade in Berlin to celebrate the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring greet the participants in the parade as they pass beneath the window of Hitler's new office.

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Adolf Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist (Nazi) Party - 29 July 1921

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Adolf Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist (Nazi) Party - 29 July 1921

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- By early 1921, Adolf Hitler was becoming highly effective at speaking in front of ever larger crowds.

- Hitler was now gaining notoriety outside of the Nazi Party for his rowdy, at times hysterical tirades against the Treaty of Versailles.
- Slowly, the Nazi Party began looking toward the rising politician, Adolf Hitler, and the growing Nazi movement as the vehicle to hitch themselves to. Hitler was already looking at how he could carry his movement to the rest of Germany.
- They realized the loss of Hitler would effectively mean the end of the Nazi Party. Hitler seized the moment and announced he would return on the condition that he was made chairman and given dictatorial powers.
- Adolf Hitler was then introduced as Führer of the Nazi Party, marking the first time that title was publicly used to address him.

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- The Treaty of Versailles was the peace settlement signed after World War One had ended in 1918. The treaty was signed between Germany and the Allies.

War Guilt Clause
- The politicians wanted Germany to accept moral responsibility for the war and all the consequences thereof, after realizing that Germany would not be able to pay reparations as high as 33 million.
- The Allied forces were concerned with weakening Germany militarily. Numerous restrictions were placed on Germany’s military. Germany was forbidden to possess submarines and naval aircraft. Under the treaty Germany was limited only to 6 battleships, limit of 100,000 army men.