Hitler and SCRAMCUP

The Anschluss refers to the systematic annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, which was the third significant territory expansion under the command of Hitler.The Anschluss begun on the 25th of July, 1934 with the assasination of Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss by Austrian supporters of the Nazi party, acting under the direct orders of Hitler.Following the assassination was a period of civil unrest within Austria, during which the Nazi supporters residing in Austria commited various crimes in order to ensure the success of the Anschluss.Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, the successor to Dollfuss proceeding the assassination, attempted to resolve the internal conflict through the enaction of a plebiscite, in which Austrian residents would determine whether the Anschluss would be established.The plebiscite however increased public support for the Nazi party, as Shuschnigg had restricted the younger Austrians eligibility to vote.This was generally percieved as corruption, due to the majority of Nazi supporters within Austria being the younger generations.Hitler upon observing the plebiscite denounced it as “outragious”, and produced an ultimatum to Schuschnigg stating that Austria should accept the Anschluss, or be forcefully annexed by the German military.In response to the threat, Schuschnigg resigned as chancellor and fled to Britain, fearing perseculation under the Nazi regime.German soldiers finally marched into Austria on the 12th of March 1938, and were greeted with positive celebration from the Austrian public.The conduction of the Anschluss was in direct violation of the terms imposed under the treaty of versailles, but was not opposed by either Britain or France, both of which for their own individual reason.Britain maintained a policy of appeasement with Germany, not wanting to trigger war between the two nations.Despite this, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain stated that “action may have to be taken against Germnay” if it’s foreign expansions continued.France was unable to oppose the Anschluss due to their withdrawal from the league of nations, following the resignation of the acting government.

“Anschluss.” Anschluss GERMAN HISTORY, www.britannica.com/event/Anschluss.

The reclamation of the Saarland was the return of the the Saarland to Germany, through the formation of a plebiscite.This was the first significant action taken by Adolf Hitler, the commanding Fuhrer of the Nazi party, towards his objective of establishing Lebensraum and restoring the territories lost by Germany following the conclusion of the first world wars.The process utilised to determine if Germany’s claim to the Saarland would be accepted was the enaction of a pelebiscit, which was the vote of the population residing in the Saarland on whether they wished to return to Germany.The final results were heavily in favour of reestablishing the Saarland as German territory, with 90% of the participants selecting this option.The primary factor behind the wide range of support for Germany were the high number of ethnic Germans within the Saarland, who had been forcefully seperated from Germany under the terms enforced by the Treaty Of Versailles.The reclaimation of the Saarland was significant for a plethora of various reasons, the most notable among these being the return of the natural resources located in the Saarland to Germany.The Saarland was abundant in coal and iron mines, which had previously been under the control of France.These resources would later be utilised by Germany during the second world war.Furthermore, the success of the Saarland inflated both Hitler’s confidence and support for him among the German general public, observed through his positively recieved declaration proceeding the plebiscite that, “Germany will no longer meet the demands of France”.Despite the significant benefits this action provided to Hitler, it was not a violation of any terms enacted under the Treaty Of Versailles, the formation of the plebiscite having been endorsed by the League Of Nations.The support of the League was primarily due to the exemplification of self determination through the plebiscite, as the final decision was determined by the residents of the Saarland, and not any interfering foreign entity.

“The Saar Plebiscite.” History Today, www.historytoday.com/archive/saar-plebiscite.

The reimplementation of conscription and rearmament was the first significant action by Hitler towards the reestablishment of the German military, which was largely dismantled due to the Treaty Of Versailles.Under the conditions imposed by the treaty, the German military would only be permitted to consist of 100,000 soldiers, and would have to decommission a large majority of it’s airforce and navy.The restrictions applied to these branches of military included the complete removal of any aerial combat weapons, alongside the allowance of only 6 serviceable battleships to be maintained.The process of rearmament and conscription was initiated in 1935, with Hitler commanding his generals to increase the scale of the German army three times it’s current size through conscription, and begin the production of various armoured combat vehicles.He additionally reintroduced the German airforce with the commission to manufacture 2500 airplanes, under the new name of “Luftwaffe”.Furthermore, he ordered the construction of multiple naval weapons, which included battleships, submarines and U-boats.By the conclusion of the expansions, the German military was estimated to contain 13.6 million soldiers, 120 thousand combat aircraft, and 810 thousand warships.This increase in the capabilities of the German military was in direct violation of multiple terms enacted under the Treaty Of Versailles, but was permitted due to two notable factors.Firstly, the general public of many Eurocentric countries were sympathetic towards Germany, and believed that the Treaty Of Versailles was unfairly harsh on Germany.Hitler utilised this sympathy to his advantage, exaggerating the weakness of Germany in order to justify the reintroduction of conscription and rearmament.Secondly, Germany signed the Anglo-German naval pact with Britain, which enabled the expansion of the German navy.Under the conditions of this pact, Germany would be authorised to expand it’s navy to any scale that did not exceed the size of the British navy.Britain agreed to the signing of this pact due to it’s assurance that they would maintain their superiority over the sea.

“Lessons Learned: Hitler's Rearmament of Germany.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/explainer-video/lessons-learned-hitlers-rearmament-germany.

The remilitarisation of the Rhineland was the invasion and occupation of the Rhineland by the German military, and the first foreign military operation under the command of Hitler. The movement of soldiers into the Rhineland commenced on the 7th of March, 1936, the unit deployed consisting of 22000 German soldiers. Hitler purposely utilised a small military unit, as he wished to avoid provocation of an attack from either Britain or France, the march into the Rhineland simply acting as a test to observe the response of the two nations to non permitted territory expansions. Due to the utilization of the Rhineland as a buffer zone between France and Germany, the division of soldiers did not encounter any opposition from foreign military forces. Following the successful deployment of the soldiers, Hitler claimed the Rhineland as German territory, beginning the construction of resource depots and factories within the Rhineland. The success in the remilitarisation of the Rhineland provided two primary benefits to Hitler. Firstly, the factories located within the Rhineland were restored to German control, which increased production of steel, coal, and iron. The collection of these resources was significant, as they were utilised to further the military capabilities of Nazi Germany both in preparation for and during the second world war. Secondly, the success of the Rhineland earned Hitler the support of the German army, as the reclamation of the Rhineland was generally perceived as Hitler adhering to his promise of a “greater German empire”.This enabled Hitler to continue his aggressive foreign policy, alongside achieve his objective of maintaining a powerful German army. The occupation of the Rhineland was a direct violation of the terms established under the Treaty Of Versailles but was accepted by surrounding European nations for a plethora of reasons. Britain did not wish to initiate hostilities with Germany, and thus did not oppose the reclaimation of the Rhineland.Furthermore, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, wanted to utilise Germany as a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and the western nations of Europe in order to negate the spread of communist ideologies and believed providing Germany with the Rhineland would make them increasingly effective in this position. France was concerned at the expansion of Germany into the Rhineland, but it was unable to counteract the German soldiers, due to fear of condemnation by the League Of Nations. Alongside this, the French government has already established a line of military defences across its German border in the form of the Maginot Line and had the intention to maintain a defensive position if Germany were to attack.

“Remilitarization of the Rhineland (Mar. 7, 1936) Summary & Facts.” Totally History, 9 Jan. 2014, totallyhistory.com/remilitarization-of-the-rhineland/.

The Munich agreement was the pact signed between Germany, France, Britain, and Italy, which permitted the annexation of the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland by Germany.Hitler desired the Sudetenland due to the high number of ethnic Germans residents, the population of the Sudetenland being 24% German. Furthermore, the ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland were discontent with their separation from Germany, believing that the rise of nationalism within Czechoslovia was repressing the Czechoslovakian ethnic Germans. Hitler utilized this unrest among the Germans to support the reclamation of the Sudetenland, forging accusations that the ethnic Germans were being assaulted and oppressed by the Czechoslovakian government. Following the conclusion of the conference, it was determined that Germany would be permitted to annex a significant portion of the Sudetenland, but would not be given control over the entire territory. Proceeding the departure of the French and Italian diplomats, Hitler and Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, had a personal discussion between themselves. During this meeting, Hitler revealed his desire for the complete Sudetenland and attempted to convince Chamberlain to allow his annexation of the entire area. Chamberlain hastily agreed to Hitler’s proposition, due to his maintenance of an appeasement policy towards Hitler. The result of this conference furthered Hitler’s objectives of establishing Lebensraum, alongside reunifying all ethnic Germans. Neither the conduction of the conference or Hitler’s ambition for the annexation of the Sudetenland is in violation of any conditions imposed under the Treaty Of Versailles, however, the decision to permit the expansion into the Czechoslovakian territory without the consent of Czechoslovakia went against the concept of self-determination, which was endorsed by Britain and France.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Munich Agreement.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Agreement.

The invasion of Czechoslovakia was the annexation and occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, directly proceeding the conclusion of the Munich Conference.The operation was conducted in two seperate stages, which were the invasion of the Sudetenland, and the following anenxation of the entire Czechoslovakian territory.The first deployment of military forces to sieze control over the Sudentenland took place on the 30th of September 1938, consisting of 40,000 German soldiers supported by armoured tanks and aerial infantry.The soldiers did not encounter any opposition when entering the Sudetenland, but the Czechoslovakians were visibly discontent with their arrival.The following day proceeding the succesful establishment of the Sudetenland as German territory, German military forces continued their march into Czechoslovakia.Unlike the Sudetenland, their invasion was heavily resisited by Czechoslovakian civilians, but the absence of organised combat units to support the civilians allowed Germany to successfully assert dominance over the territory.This expansion of German borders furthered two of Hitler’s objectives for Germany, which were the enaction of Lebensraum and the unification of all ethnic Germans.Furthermore, Czechoslovakia was a wealthy nation, which allowed Hitler to fund his continual military development through the production of weapons.This invasion was in direct violation of the terms enforced by the Treaty Of Versailles, and the response from foreign nations to this unpermitted annexation was primarily negative.Britain concluded it’s policy of appeasement towards Germany, and stated that if Hitler maintained his agressive foreign policy, then military action against Germany would be taken into consideration.France was heavily concerned at the invasion by Germany, due to their alliance with Poland.Proceeding the establishment of Czechoslovakia as German territory, Poland directly shared a border with Germany and was a probable target for annexation.

History.com Editors. “German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was an agreement signed between Joespeh Stalin, the current general secretary of the Soviet Union, and Adolf Hitler, the ruling Fuhrer of the German Nazi party.The pact was formally enacted on 23rd August 1939 and was the first policy signed between the two countries.The conditions of the pact dictated a policy of non aggression between the two nations for ten years, and the unified support between one another if either country were to invade a foreign land.This was a significant event, as it provided Germany with a powerful European ally, which further deterred Britan and France from interfering with Germany’s foreign expansions.Alongside this, the treaty served as a catalyst for the invasion of Poland by Germany in September 1939, as it prevented Germany from fighting on two fronts proceeding the invasion.The primary motivation for Stalin to accept this pact despite the numerous benefits it provided to Nazi Germany, which he was becoming increasingly fearful of, was the lack of successful negotiation with Britain and France.The failure to achieve an agreement with either of the two nations lead Stalin to seek a policy of nonaggression with Hitler, which would allow him time to further develop the military capabilities of the Soviet Union in preparation for the likely war.Despite the significance of Germany’s involvement in this pact, its signing was not a violation of the conditions set in the Treaty of Versailles but was concerning to both Britain and France regardless.

History.com Editors. “German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact.

The invasion of Poland was the occupation and annexation of Poland by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.The invasion commenced on the 1st of September 1939, with the deployment of 1.5 million German soldiers towards Poland.Simultaniously, the Luftwaffen performed Blitzkreig military attacks on Polish airfields, and German warships begun assaulting the Polish navy.These attacks were successful in crippling a vast majority of Poland’s miltary capabilities, which forced the Polish army to form a defensive line in the Southern region of Poland, known as the Romanian Bridgehead.This defensive line was maintianed until Septemeber 17th, when Soviet forces began entering Poland.Upon the realisaton of both a Nazi and Soviet invaion, Polish soldiers abandoned the Romanian Bridgehead and swiftly surrendered.Despite the surrender by the soldiers, a formal surrender was never declared by the Polish government.Following the successful invasion, Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union, Germany aquiring control over the western territory while the east was provided to the Soviet Union.The annexation of Poland generated three significant benefits for Hitler.Firstly, it furthered his objective of obtaining Lebensraum for the ethnic Germans, providing 313,000 square kilometers of land area to Germany.Secondly, the elimination of Poland prevented Britain or France from launching an offensive between Germany and the Soviet Union through Poland, which would have forced Hitler to fight battles on both the eastern and western fronts.Finally, it adhered to Hitler’s desire for a greater German empire, returning the territories provided to Poland during the conclusion of the first world war to Germany.The annexation of Poland violated multiple terms within the Treaty Of Versaiiles, and the response to it by external European powers was severe.Britain and France both declared a state of war against Nazi Germany, and military preparations were underway within both nations.Smaller countries began forming alliances among Europe, choosing either to join the Axis Powers or the Allies.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939.