- Germany annexes Austria after a bloodless invasion.
- This move violated the Treaty of Versailles and was the first major territorial acquisition by Germany under Hitler's rule.
2. The Sudetenland Crisis - September-October 1938
- Germany demands the cession of the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, which was predominantly German-speaking.
- The crisis leads to the Munich Conference, where Britain, France, and Italy appease Hitler by agreeing to the German annexation of the Sudetenland.
- This event marked the failure of the policy of appeasement and further emboldened Hitler's aggressive ambitions.
3. The Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) - November 9-10, 1938
- A wave of anti-Jewish violence occurs in Germany and Austria, resulting in the destruction of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues.
- This event marked a significant escalation in the Nazi regime's persecution of Jews.
4. The Invasion of Czechoslovakia - March 15-16, 1939
- Germany invades and occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia, violating the Munich Agreement.
- This act of aggression made it clear that Hitler's territorial ambitions extended beyond the Sudetenland and further alarmed European powers.
5. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - August 23, 1939
- Germany signs a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, agreeing to divide up Poland and Eastern Europe between them.
- This agreement gave Hitler the green light to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention, and it effectively divided Europe into two spheres of influence between Germany and the USSR.