Hitler's Austrian And Czechoslovakian Aggression: Prelude To Wwii

In 1938, Hitler began his expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. Czechoslovakia was the next step in his aggressive expansion, and German Nazis in the Sudetenland were told to stir up trouble. The Sudetenland was a mountainous border region populated predominantly by ethnic Germans. Hitler's actions in Austria and Czechoslovakia led to the Second World War.

Hitler's expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans

In 1938, Hitler began his expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. This was followed by Hitler’s most brazenly aggressive act yet: the forced surrender of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, a mountainous border region populated predominantly by ethnic Germans.

Hitler's expansionist policies were driven by his desire to unite all Germans into one nation. After the First World War, the map of Europe was redrawn, and three million Germans found themselves living in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Hitler used the protests and violence provoked by Sudeten Germans as an excuse to place German troops along the Czech border. He claimed that 300 Sudeten Germans had been killed, although this was not true.

The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but these nations chose a policy of appeasement to avoid war, having been bled white in World War I. At a conclave held at Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France compelled Czech leaders to cede the Sudetenland in return for Hitler’s pledge not to seek additional territory. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, one of the signers of the Munich pact, had taken Hitler at his word.

However, Hitler's aggression did not stop there. The German army went on to swallow up the remainder of Czechoslovakia, demonstrating that his intentions were not limited, as Chamberlain had believed.

The annexation of Austria to Germany

In 1938, Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. This was the first step in Hitler's expansionist policy, which would eventually lead to WWII.

Hitler was open about his refusal to accept many of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Soon after he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he began to re-arm the country, breaking the restrictions placed on the German armed forces. In 1936, he sent German troops into the Rhineland, and in March 1938, he joined Germany and Austria. Czechoslovakia was the logical next step for his aggression, and German Nazis in the Sudetenland were told to stir up trouble.

The Sudetenland was a mountainous border region of Czechoslovakia populated predominantly by ethnic Germans. Hitler turned his attention to the three million Germans living there in 1938. Sudeten Germans began protests and provoked violence from the Czech police. Hitler claimed that 300 Sudeten Germans had been killed, using this as an excuse to place German troops along the Czech border.

The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but hoping to avoid war, these nations chose a policy of appeasement. At a conclave held at Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France compelled Czech leaders to cede the Sudetenland in return for Hitler’s pledge not to seek additional territory. However, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, one of the signers of the Munich pact, had been deceived by Hitler, who did not keep his word. The German army swallowed up the remainder of Czechoslovakia, and the stage was set for the outbreak of WWII.

Czechoslovakia's forced surrender of the Sudetenland

In 1938, Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. Czechoslovakia was the logical next step for his aggression. In September 1938, Hitler turned his attention to the three million Germans living in a part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. Sudeten Germans began protests and provoked violence from the Czech police. Hitler claimed that 300 Sudeten Germans had been killed. This was not actually the case, but Hitler used it as an excuse to place German troops along the Czech border.

Edvard Benes, the leader of Czechoslovakia, was concerned that if Germany was given the Sudetenland, most of the Czech defences would be handed over to the Germans and they would be left defenceless. The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but hoping to avoid war, these nations chose a policy of appeasement. At a conclave held at Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France compelled Czech leaders to cede the Sudetenland in return for Hitler’s pledge not to seek additional territory.

Hitler's brazenly aggressive act was a significant step towards WWII. The forced surrender of the Sudetenland demonstrated Hitler's willingness to use force and manipulation to achieve his expansionist goals. It also highlighted the failure of appeasement policies by Britain and France, which ultimately contributed to the outbreak of WWII.

The British and French policy of appeasement

In 1938, Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. Czechoslovakia was the logical next step for his aggression. In September 1938, Hitler turned his attention to the three million Germans living in the Sudetenland, a mountainous border region of Czechoslovakia populated predominantly by ethnic Germans. Sudeten Germans began protests and provoked violence from the Czech police. Hitler used this as an excuse to place German troops along the Czech border, claiming that 300 Sudeten Germans had been killed. The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but hoping to avoid war, these nations chose a policy of appeasement. At a conclave held at Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France compelled Czech leaders to cede the Sudetenland in return for Hitler’s pledge not to seek additional territory. The French government did not wish to face Germany alone and took its lead from the British government, led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He contended that Sudeten German grievances were justified and believed that Hitler's intentions were limited. That made Britain and France advise Czechoslovakia to concede to the German demands. Edvard Benes, the leader of Czechoslovakia, was concerned that if Germany was given the Sudetenland, most of the Czech defences would be handed over to the Germans and they would be left defenceless. Benes resisted, and on 20 May 1938, a partial mobilisation was under way in response to the possible German invasion. However, Britain and France continued their policy of appeasement, with Chamberlain signing the Munich pact.

The German invasion of the remainder of Czechoslovakia

In 1938, Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans. He colluded with Austrian Nazis to orchestrate the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria to Germany. This was followed by the invasion of Czechoslovakia, which was forced to surrender the Sudetenland, a mountainous border region populated predominantly by ethnic Germans. The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but hoping to avoid war, these nations chose a policy of appeasement. At a conclave held at Munich in September 1938, representatives of Great Britain and France compelled Czech leaders to cede the Sudetenland in return for Hitler’s pledge not to seek additional territory.

Hitler was open about his refusal to accept many of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Soon after he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he began to re-arm the country, breaking the restrictions placed on the German armed forces. In 1936, he sent German troops into the Rhineland and in March 1938 he joined Germany and Austria. Czechoslovakia was the logical next step for his aggression, and German Nazis in the Sudetenland were told to stir up trouble. Edvard Benes, the leader of Czechoslovakia, was concerned that if Germany was given the Sudetenland, most of the Czech defences would be handed over to the Germans and they would be left defenceless.

On 20 May 1938, a partial mobilisation was under way in response to the possible German invasion. However, Britain and France advised Czechoslovakia to concede to the German demands. The following year, the German army swallowed up the remainder of Czechoslovakia.

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