The Buildup to WW2
History: KS3, topic 18.3.5
The Buildup to World War Two
From 1936 onwards, Hitler began to prepare Germany for war.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on The Buildup to WW2
Which country did Germany unify with in 1938?