Europe at the Eve of War
Hitler’s Early Aggression Jan. 1933- Chancellor of Germany Mar. 1933- The Enabling Act (Democracy is removed from government type and dictatorship is introduced) 1933- First concentration camp (Dachau) 1934- Hitler begins reorganizing and expanding the army/navy and air force 1935- Hitler marches the army into the Rhineland- restoring it to German rule *remember- Non-intervention and the idea of Appeasement
German Annexation of Austria January 1938 Hitler puts pressure on the Austrian Chancellor to give more power to the Nazi Party in Austria, threatening military action Austrian Chancellor scheduled a plebiscite on the independence of Austria for 13 March, but Hitler tells him that he will not accept the results March 12, 1938 German troops enter Austria and are greeted enthusiastically The “Anschluss” was a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Appeasement 1938- Hitler proclaims that the German people should be reunited under the Greater German nation (Austria was part of that) Hitler states that the people of the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) wish to be annexed by Germany Hitler states this is the last request he has- “I have no more territorial ambitions…” What do we do? Non-intervention and Appeasement