Transcript Sec. 1: Axis Aggression

Ch. 14: World War II, 1930-1945

1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany

1933-39: begins rearmament & military build-up in
Germany

1936: Reoccupies the Rhineland

Spring,1938: Annexes Austria (Anschluss)

Sept. 1938: Munich Conference (gets Sudetenland);
Takes all of Czechoslovakia

1939: Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

Sept. 1, 1939: German invasion of Poland
Hitler came to power in
1933
 Attacked Treaty of
Versailles
 Lebensraum = living
space
 Begins rebuilding
military (pretextresist spread of
communism)
GERMANY REARMS
1933-1939
GERMAN REOCCUPATION
OF THE RHINELAND, 1936


Germany, Japan, and Italy join alliance known
as the Axis Powers
The Spanish Civil War, 1936
 Spanish nationalists (fascists) under Gen.
Francisco Franco tries to overthrow the existing
Republican govt. in Spain
 Hitler & Mussolini supported Franco while the
Republicans backed by USSR & U.S. independents
 Franco’s Nationalists win, adding another fascist
govt. to Europe
ANSCHLUSS, 1938
GERMANY ANNEXES AUSTRIA



Hitler claims that Austrian
government is
“mistreating” German
residents.
He is simply enforcing their
protection from
discrimination
Forces Chancellor Kurt
Schuschnigg to turn over
govt.
The Sudetenland



Hitler and Mussolini invite
reps from Britain (N.
Chamberlain) & France (E.
Daladier) to discuss Germany’s
situation in Sudetenland
Chamberlain follows policy of
appeasement (gives in to
Hitler in exchange for promise
of no more land grabs); “Peace
in Our Time”
Hitler moved into remainder
of Czechoslovakia by end of
1938
Hitler and Chamberlain shaking hands
at Munich Conference, 1938

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
 Hitler signs agreement with Stalin (USSR): states that
neither would attack each other and they would split
Poland

Invasion of Poland- September 1, 1939
 Germany invades Poland -Sept.,1939; Stalin attacks from
East
 Sept. 3 – Britain & France declare war

Blitzkrieg warfare
 Speed and close air-to land coordination
 By mid-June 1940, Hitler in control of Denmark, Norway,
Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France!

Britain stood alone against Nazi onslaught
 Germans try to bomb England into submission
 British helped by dev. of radar
 German Luftwaffe killed thousands in London
Blitz, but British refuse to surrender
 RAF victories and stubborn leader, Winston
Churchill who vows never to surrender, convinces
Hitler not to invade Britain

June, 1941: Hitler breaks his pact with Stalin
and invades USSR (Operation Barbarossa)
 German blitzkrieg once again effective as German
units race across Soviet Union

Winter to the rescue
 Harsh winter sat in and slowed German advance
 The Red Army of USSR did not collapse and
began to turn the tide