1. Mr. Bhatt CHC 2DI December 2, 2010

2.  Leader of the Nazi Party  In 1933, he was named Chancellor (Prime Minister) of Germany  He eliminated all opposition and became a dictator

3.  In 1933, Hitler began secretly rearming Germany, which had been forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles  In 1935, he made this policy public knowledge  The German people were grateful for jobs the weapons industry provided during the Great Depression

4.  The Rhineland is a border region between France and Germany  The Treaty of Versailles stated Germany was not allowed to have troops there  Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland in March 1936  Showed he wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles

5.  The Treaty of Versailles banned a union between Germany and Austria  Hitler sent troops into Austria and annexed it to Germany  Known as the Anschluss (“link-up” in German)

6.  Hitler wanted to annex the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia populated by Germans  British PM Neville Chamberlain arranged its transfer to Germany in exchange for Hitler not taking any more territory (appeasement)

7.  Hitler broke his promise and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939  This was the first sign that war might soon begin in Europe

8.  Hitler signed a non- aggression pact with the Soviet Union (USSR)  A surprise move since Hitler hated Communism and it was thought he wanted new land in Russia  Pledged that Germany and the USSR would not attack each other in a war and secretly gave the Soviets a chunk of Poland, which Hitler would invade soon

9.  With no more fear of a Russian attack, Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939  Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later  After a six-month lull in fighting (the Phony War), the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France

10.  The German invasion pinned Allied (British/French) troops down at Dunkirk, France  In June 1940, France surrendered, leaving Britain as Germany’s only enemy in Western Europe

11.  Hitler tried to destroy the British air defences by bombing British airports  He switched to bombing cities in retaliation for British air raids on Berlin  For the next nine months, the Luftwaffe (German air force) continuously bombed British cities  Despite this, it was unable to wipe out the Royal Air Force (RAF) and British morale

12.  Hitler decided to stop the bombing of Britain in 1941 and turn to the East  He invaded the Soviet Union in violation of the 1939 non-aggression pact  This proved to be a turning point in the war