16.3.5

The Buildup to WW2

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The Buildup to World War Two

From 1936 onwards, Hitler began to prepare Germany for war.

Illustrative background for Remilitarising the RhinelandIllustrative background for Remilitarising the Rhineland ?? "content

Remilitarising the Rhineland

  • In 1936, Hitler directly disobeyed the Treaty of Versailles (the peace treaty after World War One) and remilitarised the Rhineland.
  • He sent soldiers and tanks into the area.
  • Britain and France did not stop him. This showed him that they would let him grow the German military.
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Anschluss

  • In March 1938 Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles again by unifying Germany with Austria.
  • This was called the Anschluss.
  • Hitler was expanding Germany. He wanted to build a ‘reich’ (empire) which would last 1,000 years.
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The Sudetenland

  • In October 1938, Hitler invaded the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia.
  • He claimed he was freeing Germans living in the Sudetenland.
  • British politicians (led by Chamberlain, the Prime Minister) followed a policy called ‘appeasement’. This meant they gave Hitler what he wanted to avoid war.
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Invasion of Poland

  • In 1939, Hitler made a secret pact with the Soviet Union to invade Poland.
  • This was the start of World War Two.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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