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main developments in Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy - Coggle Diagram
main developments in Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy
1939 Invasion of Poland
by the Nazi-Soviet Pact Hitler and Stalin decided to
divide Poland between them, and German troops invaded on 1 September 1939.
1939 Invasion of CzechoSlovakia
March 1939, with Czechoslovakia in
chaos, German troops took over the rest of the country, with no resistance
Britain and France did nothing, except warn Hitler that if he invaded
Poland they would declare war on Germany.
It was clear that Appeasement was
over
1935 Saar Plebiscite
90% voted to return to German rule,
Entirely legal, and a boost to Hitler’s prestige.,
rich coal-mining area
success for Hitler
1936 Re-militarisation of the Rhineland
a gamble that paid off.
France had just
signed a treaty with the USSR to protect each other against Germany
Hitler argued that Germany was under threat and should be allowed to place troops on her own frontier
the French would not act without British support;
the League issued a
condemnation,
1938 The Anschluss with Austria
Hitler stated in Mein Kampf that he wanted to
create a Greater Germany and to overthrow the Treaty of Versailles.
Austria’s soldiers, weapons and its rich deposits of gold, iron ore and salt would be added to Germany’s increasingly strong army and industry to make it more powerful
easier to do now that Hitler and Mussolini were allies
Chamberlain felt that it should be allowed and that
Versailles had been wrong to forbid it;
In 1934 Hitler used the Austrian Nazi Party
to put pressure on the Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss.
In 1934 the Austrian Nazi Party murdered Dollfuss during an attempted takeover.
In 1938 Hitler encouraged the Nazis to stir up trouble for the Austrian government.
They staged demonstrations calling for union with Germany and caused riots.
Hitler told the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss could solve the problems
German troops marched in in March to guarantee a troublefree
plebiscite on the issue, and under the eye of the Nazi troops 99.75% of Germans and Austrians voted for it.
1938 Sudentenland
Part of Czechoslovakia was the Sudetenland where
3,500,000 German-speaking people lived.
One of Hitler’s aims was to unite
German-speaking people.
Konrad Henlein, leader of the Nazis in the Sudetenland,
stirred up trouble and demanded to be part of Germany;
Hitler said that Germans
in the Sudetenland were being mistreated by the Czechs,
International tension rose and war
seemed likely;
but after several meetings, the leaders of Germany, Britain, France
and Italy agreed at Munich to transfer the Sudetenland to Germany;
Chamberlain
said this policy of Appeasement would mean ‘peace for our time’.
Munich Agreement
It was an Agreement signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain
and Daladier on 29th September, 1938.
Britain, Germany,
Italy and France guaranteed the rest of Czechoslovakia.
It took away most of the Czech defences.
made iteasier to take the rest of Czechoslovakia.