Once Hitler became dictator of Germany in 1933, he began to make his nation the most powerful in Europe. The German dictator ignored the Treaty of Versailles by building a large military force. He then marched troops into Austria and the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, in 1938. Many people believed that Germany was mistreated in the Treaty of Versailles and that it had a right to these territories. After meeting with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Hitler agreed to conquer no more land. Chamberlain consented to allow Hitler to control the new areas. The Prime Minister told the media the two leaders had accomplished “peace in our time.”
The Invasion of Poland
Britain and France declared they would defend Poland from German attack. They attempted to get the dictator of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin, to join their alliance against Germany, but Stalin signed a separate pact with Germany. In September 1939, Germany attacked Poland from the west, while the Soviet Union attacked from the east. The attack caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
Blitzkrieg: Lightning War
The German army called their method of attack Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.” They used fast-moving tanks coordinated with airplanes to conquer Poland in less than three weeks. The German Blitzkrieg swept across Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and France by the spring of 1940.
Germany Turns on the Soviet Union
By June 1941, Hitler ignored his agreement with Stalin and attacked the Soviet Union. Germany was now in the same position as World War I, fighting on two fronts. The decision to attack Russia would cost millions of lives on both sides but ultimately destroyed Germany.
Resources
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Mr. Donn has an excellent website that includes a section on World War I and World War II.