Hitler's aims was to unite all German speaking people
He wants to re-unite with home country Austria
Austria has German speaking people
Forbidden to join with Austria due to the Treaty of Versailles
Failed coup
Austrian Chancellor, Engerlbert Dolfuss, wants to get rid of
Nazi and Socialist Parties because he believes its tearing apart
the country
Dolfuss banned the Nazi Party
In 1934, Hitler orders Austrian Nazis to riot in Austria as
an attempt to overpower Austrian Goverment
Dolfuss is murdered, but the attempted failed as a whole because the
Austrian Military got involved and backed up the Goverment
In 1934, Italy made an agreement that it would
protect Austria. So when Hitler invaded Mussolini
moved Italian troops to Austria boarders to deter
Hitler from invading
Events leading up to Anschluss
Spanish Civil War broke in 1936, both Hitler and Mussolini support
Spanish fascist General Francisco Franco
Hitler uses the civil war to gain army experience in
tank formations and dive-bombing
Italy and Germany become closer
In 1936,Italy and Germany sign the Rome-Berlin Axis. Austria loss protection from Italy
Later followed by the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1937 which saw Italy, Germany and Japan join to prevent the spread of communism
Italy attacked Albania and signed the Pact
of Steel with Germany in 1938
Mussolini couldn't intervene when Hitler joins with Austria
In 1936, Hitler and new Austrian Chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg sign
the German-Austrian Agreement.
The pact recognized Austria's independence, but the Austrian's foreign policy
had to be consistent with Germany
January 1938, Chancellor Schuschnigg
discovers a plot by Austrian Nazis to revolt
against the government.
He goes to Hitler for help,but instead Hitler berates
him to give government to Austrian Nazis
Hitler moves troops to Austrian boarder and threats to invade. Schuschnigg arranges a
vote to decide whether or not to unite with Germany
Austrian Nazis riot in the streets. Schuschnigg and government resigned expect for Seyss-Inquarter.
Seyss-Inquarter invites Germany into Austria. 80,000 of Hitler opponents are imprisoned
12th March 1938, Hitler enters Austria and union with Austria is established 2 days later. The vote was 99.75% 'yes'
Rhineland
De-militarised zone under the term of the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler still has political control of area, but unable to station troops in the region
In March 1936, Hitler orders troops to re-enter Rhineland
In doing this he broke the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno
Treaties of 1925 which guaranteed Germany's frontiers
This was a huge gamble for Hitler, if he was forced to withdraw
he would lose faith from the military and be humiliated
Hitler actually ordered his generals to retreat if the
French showed any slight sign of taking military action
This did not occur and over 32,000 German police and soldiers crossed its own frontiers
Hitler had chosen the right time well, as France and USSR had just signed an
agreement in which the countries agree to protect each other from a German attack
Hitler used this claim that Germany was under threat
If Germany was under threat, his argument continued, Germany should be
allowed to place troops on its own frontier
The main reason France didn't attack was that it was in a political crisis, there was a
general election and nobody wanted to take responsibility fro plunging France into a war
On top of this the League of Nations was largely concerned with Abyssinian and thought it would
condemned Hitler's actions, it did not actively intervene to force him to withdraw
Lots of people in Britain felt that Hitler had the right to station troops in the Rhineland so they didn't intervene
Saar
Germany lost the Saar to the League of Nations through the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler's aims to reunite all German speaking and destroy the Treaty of Versailles
A vote was held 15 years after Germany was separated from the Saar to
determine whether the Saarland's would re-join with Germany
The Nazis made a huge campaign as they day got closer to try and persuade the Saarland's to vote for Germany
Communists and Socialist organized campaigns against Germany, so the Nazis threatened or beat them up
The vote was 90% to join Germany, Hitler acted like it was a big deal and
had a party. This was the first undoing of the Treaty of Versailles