Hitler and Chamberlain

• Anschluss (1938)

  • French govt resigned

  • British wanted to appease Hitler 

• Sudetenland (1938)

  • Hitler focused on Sudetenland after Austria

  • Economically viable (natural resources were alot)

  • 3 million Germans were in Sudetenland. Hitler took advantage of minority status of Sudeten to convince them of the need for rebel --> Excuse to invade

• Munich Agreement

  • Hitler encouraged Sudeten Nazis to rebel and side with Germany

  • Czech declared martial law, Hitler threatened war

  • Chamberlain visited Hitler without knowledge of Czech, agreed to give Hitler areas more than 50% of Germans

    • Hitler wanted whole of Sudetenland but Chamberlain refuses

  • War threatens but Chamberlain tells Britain not to worry

  • France, Germany, Britain meet in Munich, and agree to give Hitler the Sudetenland

    • if he agrees to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone

• Germany was welcomed into Sudetenland (as heroes)

• Consequences (1939)

  • Weakened Czech

  • Scared other countries who reach out to Hitler

  • Proved the extent of appeasement

  • Convinces Russia they were the only one opposing Hitler

  • Gave Britain, France, Germany time to rearm

  • Hitler claimed that the Sudetenland was the last territorial claim he wanted to make - he said "he was done"

1939

• Invasion of Czechoslovakia

• • • Showed that Hitler was not just interested in "Greater Germany"

    • Chamberlain does not trust Hitler

    • Britain promises to protect Poland

    • Hitler maintains his commitment to peace

• Agreements

• • • May - Germany & Italy; Pact of Steel, stand together during war

    • August - Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR

    • Stalin delayed an inevitable war; Able to rearm 

    • Hitler avoided war on two fronts, tested Britain and France's commitment to appeasement.

      • Basically Hitler was testing the allies step by step when he 得寸进尺、变本加厉 will they do anything (if they don't then he continue aggressing bit by bit to conquer more land and increase Germany's military power)

• Invasion of Poland

  • • • • Germans used tanks from Czech

        • Reasons: 

          • • Lebensraum

            • Test Chamberlain's resolve

            • Defend Germans in Poland from persecution

            • Overturn Versailles

        • Britain and France demanded he stop --> Led to declaration of war