WW2 - Part Two
The Rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany
Amid this chaos, Adolf Hitler emerged. Leading the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) since 1921, he became Germany’s Chancellor on January 30, 1933. The Nazis promised to rebuild a Germany shattered by the Treaty of Versailles.
With the economy in ruins from war and reparations, Hitler’s call for unity and strength won massive support. He tackled unemployment with bold public projects—starting in 1933, the Autobahn highway system created jobs nationwide. In 1937, he founded Volkswagen to make cars affordable, aiming to transform German society.
But these efforts couldn’t fully revive the economy. Desperate, Hitler turned to territorial expansion, believing annexation would strengthen Germany. His ideology—that Germans were a superior race destined to rule—drove this aggressive policy.
Rearmament and Early Aggression
On March 16, 1935, Hitler defied the Treaty of Versailles with the German Rearmament Declaration, massively expanding the military. This not only boosted Germany’s strength but also cut unemployment by hiring soldiers.
Britain and France protested, but, scarred by World War I, they avoided harsh action, fearing another war. This leniency emboldened Hitler.
In July 1936, Germany and Italy intervened in the Spanish Civil War (July 17, 1936 – April 1, 1939), backing anti-socialist forces. Italy’s Benito Mussolini, in power since October 31, 1922, was Hitler’s inspiration—Hitler even called him a mentor. Their alliance grew.
On March 12, 1938, Germany annexed Austria (Anschluss), claiming it as a historic German land. Then, at the Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938, Britain and France let Germany take Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, hoping to appease Hitler. He promised no further expansion—but broke that vow on March 15, 1939, seizing all of Czechoslovakia.
※ Czechoslovakia was a country that existed from 1918 to 1992, consisting of the present-day Czech Republic and Slovakia united as one nation.