Hitler's Rise to Power Notes

DUNMANHIGHSCHOOLHUMANITIES&ARTSPROGRAMME YEAR4HISTORY Name(s):[redacted] Class: Date:30/01/2023 HITLER’SEXPANSIONISTPOLICYRefertoTextbookpg114-124 HITLER’SACTIONS HOWDIDTHISCONTRIBUTETOWARDSTHEOUTBREAKOFWWIIWithdrawalfromtheLeagueofNationsandtheGenevaDisarmamentConference(Oct1933) AllowedGermanytoembarkonrearmament.Rearmamentwouldnotbepossibleif GermanyhadremainedintheLeagueofNationsasFrancehadobjected. ConscriptionandRearmament(Oct1933onwards) AllowedGermanytobuildupitsdefencesagainstthestrongerallies.Under thetermsof theTreatyofVersallies,theGermanarmyandnavywereseverelylimitedandtheywerebarredfromhavinganairforce. However, byMarch1935. Germanypossesseda2500planeLuftwaffe and a 300000 strong army. Germany also institutedcompulsoryconscriptionandplannedforanarmyof550000. RemilitarisationoftheRhineland(Mar1936) AllowedGermanytoregainitsmilitarypowerintheRhinelandandeffectivelyputinplacedefencesfromallsides.ThesedefenceswouldensurethatGermanywouldbearmedduringattacks.GermanycouldalsolaunchattacksfromRhineland.ThemovealsobroketheTreatyofVersailles,whichmadehimaninstantheroasmanyGermansdidnotliketheTreatyofVersailles. German involvement intheSpanishCivilWar(Apr1937) Hitlersentsoldiers,equipmentandwarplanestosupporttheSpanishNationalist forces, which were against the incumbent Spanishgovernment.Atthattime,theSpanishgovernmentweresupportedbycommunistsandleftwingers.Hitler,beinganavidanti-communist,took the opportunity to point out the dangersof communismtoBritain and France. Britain and France themselves wereanti-communist,andHitler´sstanceresonatedwiththem.Therefore,BritainandFrancedidnotintervenewithHitler´sattacksonSpain,suchasGermanplanesmakingdevastatingraidsonSpanishcities.

GermanunificationwithAustria(Mar1938) Hitler, whowasborninAustria,hadalwaysfeltthatGermanyandAustriabelongedtogether. Hehadput thisideainhisbook,MeinKampf.On13March1938, AustriawasannexxedbyGermany.Previously,HitlerencouragedtheAustrianNazistopushforAnschlusswhichwasapolitcialunionwithAustria.AlthoughthiswasnotallowedunderthetreatyofVersallies,thetreatycouldnolongerstopHitlerfromdoing what he wanted. As there were many Nazis pushing forAnschluss in Austria, Hitler told Kurt Schuschnigg, chancellor ofAustriathatonlyAnschlusswouldstoptheriotingandunrestcausedbytheNazis.Schucschniggcalledaplebiscite,and99.75percentofthe Austrians voted for Anschluss. However, even after thisannexationofAustria,BritainandFrancetooknoaction.ThisresultedinAustria´sresourcesbeingatGermany´sdisposal. SecuringtheSudetenland(September1938) On 30 September 1938, theMunichagreement wasconcludedbyBriain, Germany, FranceandItaly. Thefour powersagreedtotheGermanannexationoftheCzechoslovakborderlandareasnamedtheSudetenland, wheremorethanthreemillionpeople,mainlyethnicGermans, lived. TheCzechsandtheSovietUnion,whohasalliancewithCzechoslovakia,werenotconsulted.As the leader of Czechoslovakia,Edvard Benes did not resist theagreement,GermantroopsmarchedintotheSudetenlandwithoutafight.ManyagreethattheoccupationoftheSudetenlandpavedthewayforHitler´slateroccupationoftheentiretyofCzechoslovakia.InvasionofCzechoslovakia(Mar1939) On16March1939, Hitler invadedtherest of Czechoslovakia.Thismade Britian and France angry, andtheywarnedHitler that theywouldwagewarifGermanyinvadedPoland.SigningofNazi-SovietNon-AggressionPact(Aug1939) Hitler signedthe Nazi-Soviet Non-AggressionPact withtheSovietUnion. Thepact statedthat bothcountrieswouldnot attackeachother and would resolve conflict in a friendly manner. The pactshockedmanyasHitlerwasanticommunistandStalindidnottrusttheGermans,sothepactcameasasurprise.HitlersignedthepactinordertoavoidfightingawarontwofrontwhichhadalreadyproveddisastrousforGermanyinthefirstworldwar,andhedidnotwantSoviet Union tointerferewithhisinvasionof Poland. Meanwhile,StalinwasangrythatthealliesdidnotconsulthimbeforesigningtheMunichagreement.InvasionofPoland(Sept1939) HitlerinvadedPolandon1September1939.ManythinkthatthiswasbecauseHitlerdidnottakeBritainandFranceseriouslyastheydid

notreallytake actionagainstHitler´spreviousactions.However,thistime,BritainandFranceheldtruetotheirpromiseanddeclaredwaronGermany2dayslater.Therefore,itisagreedthatNaziinvasionofPolandwasthelaststrawwhichledtotheoutbreakofWorldWarII.