9.4 The Course of the War in Europe

• Hitler came to power

  1933
• After coming to power, Hitler's actions

  1. Increased the size of the military

  2. Reintroduced conscription in Germany

  3. Re-established the German Luftwaffe (air force)

  4. Increased the production of weapons and ammunition
• One of Hitler's aims in the 1930s was to regain the territories taken from Germany under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
• Rhineland


  A region in western Germany that had been made into a demilitarised zone under the Treaty of Versailles
• Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland


  1936
• Appeasement


  The British and French policy of tolerating Hitler's actions
• Britain and France followed the policy of appeasement because they believed that giving in to Hitler's demands would avoid another war, neither France nor Britain could afford to go to war as the economies of both countries were in the grip of the Great Depression, and some believed that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh on Germany and that Hitler's actions were justified
• Hitler annexed Austria


  1938
• Sudetenland


  A region that was part of the newly formed country of Czechoslovakia and had a population of around three million ethnic Germans
• Representatives from Britain, France, Italy and Germany met in Munich and agreed to return Sudetenland to Germany


  September 1938
• Despite assurances, Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939
• When Hitler began demanding the return of territories in Poland later in 1939, Britain formed an alliance with Poland to guarantee the latter's security and independence
• Germany invaded Poland and the policy of appeasement was abandoned


  1 September 1939
• France and Britain (including British colonies and dominions such as Australia) declared war on Germany in September 1939