Appeasement
- Means to pacify/soothe
- In Germany, Hitler began to:
- Build an army, create an air force
- Stop reparation payments
- Reoccupy land that was taken away from Germany Rhineland
- Rejoin forces with Austria in 1938 – called Anschluss (unification).
- This was allowed because Britain and France felt bad about the Treaty of Versailles and the state of the German economy.
- However, Britain and France began to re-arm in 1936.
1938-1939
- Hitler wanted to take over an area in Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. This area had 3.5 million Germans in it.
- At the Munich conference, Britain, France, Italy and Germany agreed to let Germany have the Sudetenland. Hitler promised he would not take over any more land.
- March 1939 – Hitler took over the rest of Czechoslovakia
- August 1939 – Hitler makes a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. In case war breaks out, they will not fight each other. They also agree to divide Poland once it is conquered.
- September 1, 1939 – Hitler launches a Blitzkrieg (lightning war) on Poland. Poland falls to the Nazi attack.
- Britain and France demand that Hitler withdraw, he refused.
- September 3, 1939 – Britain and France declared war on Germany.
