Build up to World War II: The Triggers

1. 5)Munich

1.1. Hitler attempted to take control of the Sudetenland in 1938.

1.2. Unsuccessful attempts at a union force Hitler to threaten an invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1.3. Chamberlain and Britain appease Hitler and on 29 September 1938 give the Sudetenland to the Nazi leader.

1.4. Proof that Britain and France had seriously misjudged Hitler's intentions

1.4.1. Final confirmation for Hitler that he could do as he pleased with little opposition

2. 6)Czechoslovakia

2.1. 15 March 1939, Hitler's troops invade the remaining Czechoslovakia

2.2. Realisation that Europe on the brink of war

3. 7) USSR/Nazi Pact

3.1. By the summer 1939, Hitler was threatening an invasion of Poland

3.1.1. Danzig Germans demand unification

3.1.2. Hitler then threatens invasion if union unsuccessful

3.1.3. Chamberlain pledged British support for the Poles if a German invasion occurred

3.2. Hitler makes a secret pact with the USSR (despite his hate of communism) in an attempt to ward off the threat of Britain and France on the Poland issue

4. 8)Poland

4.1. On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland

4.2. On 3 September 1939, Chamberlain declared war on Germany

5. 4)Austria

5.1. In 1938, Hitler takes control of Austria

5.2. Initially an attempted union but Hitler resorts to invasion on 11 March 1938.

5.3. Treaty of Versailles broken again but no response from allies

5.4. Appeasement allowing Hitler room to follow through his aggressive expansion plans.

6. 1)The Saar Plebiscite

6.1. Treaty of Versailles had placed the Saar region under the control of League of Nations

6.1.1. Saar inhabitants vote to return to Germany

6.1.2. Many see this as the first step towards war

7. 2)Conscription and Re-armament

7.1. Throughout the 1930s, Hitler began to rebuild the German armed forces on a significant scale

7.2. This broke the Treaty of Versailles

7.2.1. But, Britain and France unwilling to challenge Hitler

7.2.2. Hitler appreciates the influence he holds over major European states

7.2.3. The beginning of the Appeasement issue

8. 3)The invasion of the Rhineland

8.1. Hitler forces invaded the previously de-militarized Rhineland on 7 March 1936

8.2. Treaty of Versailles again broken

8.2.1. Hitler called Britain's and France's bluff again

8.2.2. Only 22,000 soldiers in the invasion with orders to retreat if confronted with resistance