Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
M. Aamir Sultan
a. Hitlers Aims
1. To unite German speaking people (using NSD which had been denied at the Treaty of Versailles. 2. He wanted lebensraum (living space) in order to gain self-sufficiency (autarky) 3. He wanted to dominate Europe and the World To achieve any of these aims would involve breaking the Treaty of Versailles June 1919, and this could lead to war.
5. The Anschluss with Austria (13th March, 1938) Austrian Fascists wanted to unite with Germany but Schuschnigg, the Austrian Chancellor, wanted Austria to be independent. He was unable to gain support from abroad (France and the Little Entente) so agreed to meet Hitler in Berlin. He was persuaded to accept Hitlers henchman Seyss-Inquart as Minster of the Interior. Rioting in Vienna increased under Seyss-Inquarts leadership and Schuschnigg resigned. Seyss-Inquart invited Hitler to assist him and on 13th March, 1938 troops from the Wermacht entered Austria. In a plebiscite on the Anschluss a vote of 99.75% in favour was recorded. This was rigged by biased questioning. Hitler made it seem that he had been invited into Austria, in fact he had incited the union. 6. Hitler Gained the Sudetenland (29th September, 1938) The Sudetenland was lost by Austria in the Treaty of St. Germain (10th September 1919) and hereby Czechoslovakia gained 3 million German speaking people. After the Anschluss the Sudeten German leader, Konrad Henlein, demanded a union with Germany. Unable to receive help from France, the Czech Premier, Benes, mobilised alone. Fearing war, Chamberlain met Hitler on three occasions at Berchtesgaden, Godesburg and at Munich.
Munich Agreement (29th September, 1938)
This was signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain and Daladier. Benes was not present. It said: a. Hitler could take the Sudetenland the following day without a plebiscite b. Hungary and Poland could take border districts from Czechoslovakia c. Britain and Germany would never go to war.
Chamberlains Reaction
On his return to England, Chamberlain announced that he had gained peace with honour, peace in our time. The majority rejoiced, except Churchill.
Hitlers Reaction
In public Hitler seemed satisfied, but in private he exploded saying that fellow Chamberlain has spoiled my entry into Prague. 7. The Fall of Czechoslovakia (March 1939) In March 1939, Hitler forced Lithuania to give him Memel where most people spoke German. So far Hitler had only taken German speaking territory, so Chamberlain could still appease Hitler. However, in March 1939, Hitler threatened to bomb Prague, so the Czechs surrendered. Chamberlain realised appeasement had failed, so he began to rearm Britain and guarantee peace in Poland. 8. Nazi-Soviet Pact (29th August, 1939) The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact By the summer of 1939, Hitlers plans to invade Poland were complete. He realised that to invade Poland mighty cause Britain to attack him from the West but he was more concerned to avoid a Russian attack from the east. Therefore to avoid a war on two fronts, he arranged the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which said that if either country went to war the other would remain neutral.
Hitler gained the chance to invade Poland with a war on one front, if Britain supported Poland. Stalin of USSR gained time to rearm in case Hitler attacked him later, and the chance to gain the eastern half of Poland. This would provide the USSR with a buffer zone. 9. German Invasion of Poland (1st September, 1939) German tanks invaded West Prussia and Posen on the 1st September 1939 using blitzkrieg tactics. (This is a lightning, sudden attack co-coordinating air, then land forces). Chamberlain sent an ultimatum (a warning with a threat) saying that if Hitler did not withdraw from Poland by 11am, 3rd September 1939, Britain would declare war. On 3rd September, Britain, followed by France, declared war on Germany.
Lebensraum living space, e.g. Hitlers aim to take land from bordering states to achieve self-sufficiency (autarky) Anschluss union, e.g. Austria and Germany (March, 1938) Appeasement to give into an aggressor little by little, in the hope of preventing war. E.g. Britain appeased Germany (May/June 1937 March 1939) Blitzkrieg lightning attack, co-coordinating air and land forces. e.g. Germanys attack on Poland (1st September 1939) Remilitarization rearming and area, e.g. Germany remilitarized the Rhineland (1936) Plebiscite (referendum) a vote on an issue, e.g. Hitlers plebiscites on remilitarization and the Anschluss of Austria and Germany (Hitler fixed his referendums in 1936 and for the Anschluss in 1938, so no-one expected him to have a plebiscite for the Sudetenland. He fixed them by biased questioning.) Ultimatum a warning with a threat, e.g. Britains ultimatum for Hitler to leave Poland by 11am on the 3rd September 1939. Buffer zone a protective barrier of land, e.g. Eastern Poland taken by the USSR as protection against a future German attack. Rearmament manufacturing of weapons and conscription, e.g. Germany (after 1934), Britain after the taking of Sudetenland Autarky self-sufficiency economically, e.g. Germany under Hitler and Schacht to enable Germany to avoid imports Aggression hostile or violent action, e.g. Germany was aggressive towards Czechoslovakia (March, 1939) and Poland (1st September, 1939) Diktat none-negotiated decision/arrangement, e.g. The Munich Agreement, forced onto Czechoslovakia (1938) Passive to spectate, i.e. not take part in the action, e.g. Britain and France were passive towards the German remilitarization of the Rhineland (March 1936) Incite devious planning, e.g. Hitler incited the Anschluss (March, 1938)