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German Expansionism - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland. If they saw any French or British resistance, they would retreat. As he supposed, France and Britain would not be there or do anything.
    - - Rome-Berlin pact signed by Germany and Italy in October 1936, strengthening relations between those two countries.
      - Britain and France did not do anything. They allowed this to happen, doing a policy of Appeasement. In fact, many felt Germany was walking into its own backyard. This further emboldened Germany to violate the Treaty of Versailles even more.
  - - - Hitler ordered his troops to invade Austria on the eve of a referendum that would determine Austria's sovereignty or joining Germany. Surprisingly, most Austrians vote for Austria to join Germany. This is an explicit violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
    - - Britain and France did nothing about it. They continued to Appease to Germany's demands hoping to avoid another world war.
  - - - Hitler demands that the ethnic Germans in Czechoslovakia are reunited with Germany. They threaten to take by force the Sudetenland in order to reunite the German-speaking people.
    - - Czechoslovakia refuses and prepares mobilization. However, Neville Chamberlain and the French leader decide to appease Hitler's demands and force Czechoslovakia to give up its' land in an agreement made without Czechoslovakian representation. This agreement was the Munich Agreement, in which Chamberlain was assured by Hitler that the Sudetenland would be the end of it. (Spoilers, he lied)
  - - - Germany reneges its promise of the Munich Agreement and takes over the rest of Czechoslovakia.
    - - Soviet Union sees the dangers of Germany and signs a Non-Aggression pact with Germany which also secretly will split Poland between them.
      - Britain and France say that if Germany touches Poland, they will declare war.
  - - - Germany invades Poland and swiftly conquers it.
    - - Britain and France declare war on Germany, bringing a start to WWII.
      - Soviet Union also invades Poland to split it up like promised in the Non-Aggression Pact.
  - - - Germany attempted to unite Austria into its territory.
    - - France and Britain do nothing. Italy stops Germany from doing so, threatens military action against Germany.
  - - - Germany sent troops and equipment to support Francisco Franco's forces, while also testing out new deadly equipment and strategies.
    - - Condemnation of Germany's actions, no action taken by French or Britain.
- - - - Germany lost its colonies and part of its mainland, including the resource rich and industrialized Rhineland.
      - Germany forced to pay extremely high reparations to the Allied Nations, mainly France. This forces the government to print more money, which leads to an economic crisis.
      - Germany takes all responsibilities for WWI, even starting it.
      - Significantly reduced military.
      - Resentment of the German people to the Allied Powers, calling it a Diktat (Dictated peace) and creating mistrust to politicians
    - - First policies focusing entirely in breaking this treaty, regaining economic self-reliance and strength, gaining back and expanding German territory, destroying communism, and bringing all German-speaking people under one rule.
    - - He felt the Treaty of Versailles humiliated Germany, he wanted to expand Germany, he wanted to bring all German-speaking people under one rule, and he wanted to bring back national pride (being proud of being a big strong country)
  - - - Lebensraum (Living space)
        
        Racial purity
        
        Getting rid of Jews living in Germany and possible German territories.
        
        Access to land and resources to sustain ethnic Germans. In essence a zero-sum game in which Germany ‘wins’ and the rest lose.
        
        Invasion and colonization of Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union as far as the Ural mountains, which possessed not only huge amounts of land, but also resources.
      - Reunification of the German people
        
        Following the Paris Peace treaties, millions of Germans found themselves living outside German borders after the boundaries of Europe were redrawn. After 1921, there were now Germans living in Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, among other countries. Hitler pledged to reunite the Volk (German-speaking peoples) in order to create a ‘Greater Germany’.
      - Destroying the Treaty of Versailles
        
        Many Germans, still reeling from the end of the war, labelled the Treaty of Versailles a Diktat, or ‘dictated peace’, and considered it to be a national humiliation.
      - Destroying Communism
  - - - In order to pay for the reparations of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany printed more money. When Germany couldn't pay France and Belgium reparations during 1923, those countries responded by taking over the industrially-rich Ruhr region in order to take reparations in forms of raw materials and machinery. Germany responded by encouraging civil disobedience in the region and printing more money in order to pay off striking workers and catch up with reparation payments, causing hyperinflation.
    - - The U.S. sent Germany loans with the Dawes Plan, in which Germany would rebuild its economy, pay off reparations to France with taxes, and France would pay its' loans to the U.S., as well as buy American goods. Following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, American banks started calling back their loans, including in Germany. This left Germany without money.
    - - Due to Germany not having much production or employment, initially most domestic policies were public works. Also as focus was the search for Autarky (Economic self-reliance/independence), with a war-time economy (as highlighted in the Hossbach memorandum)