Road to World War II

The Rise of Adolf Hitler: Facism

National Socialists Workers Party (NAZI)
Fuhrer- absolute ruler, god like figure, Hitler’s title
Duce- name for ruler in Italy
Aryan Supremacy- white supremacy, blonde hair, blue eyes, Germans
In 1933 Hitler named the Chancellor, Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler,
President of the Weimer Republic
Dismantle all of the harsh terms out of the Treaty of Versailles legally
Storm Troopers (Brown shirts) police in Germany, thugs
SS (Shutztaffel, Black Shirts) enforcers of Nazi ideology, leader is Heinrich
Himmler, huge role in Holocaust
Overruled the Judicial system and created the Peoples Courts with Nazi officials
on board and rulings and verdicts were rigged
Dachau- anti state, anti Hitler, anti Nazi, were sent hear and later was
concentration camps
Created the Autobahn, big state highway system, done for the movement of army
militia, many camps all over Germany, created jobs for Germans, banned all train unions,
gave state money and vacations to citizens, urges people to save money and buy a
Volkswagen to travel around Germany of the Autobahn, created the Hitler Union (Hitler
Youth) mandatory to attend, clubs for girls and guys, trained the kids to be fit and
healthy, and when old enough they get state jobs, proud Germans, nationalists, Aryan
Supremacist, and taught to be Anti- Semitic,
1934- the SA (brown shirts) have now become political embarrassment of the
Nazi party, no use for them anymore to leadership, Hitler gave order to murder the
leaders of the SA and get rid of them for political power, the Night of the Long Knifes
(1934), became rival with the German Armies active army, June of 1934 all leadership
was murdered except for the ones who got away,
February 1933- the Reichstag, German parliament building, burned, Hitler was
the one who had it burned, Hitler blamed the Bolsheviks, through the media, Hitler was
given power under the Article 48 of the German Constitution, permitted him to revoke
freedom of press, freedom of assembly, disturbing the peace (federal offense), Enabling
Act of 1933, gave him power to pass any law that he saw fit, banned by law the
following: all political opposition by name, Bolsheviks, Socialists, Democrats, Nazi party
was only party, held new elections, Nazi became president and now have complete
control, The Gestapo was created, the Nazi secret police, hunt down Jewish people,
concentration camps
International Relations
Conscription Decree (1935) give living space or lebensraum, looking for
slave labor, territory, living space because Germans need more land, appeasements
began, the draft began, 550000 men became the army, created air force called Luftwaffe,
completely against Treaty of Versailles, 2nd Appeasement, broke Anglo-German Naval
Agreement which means no navy, but made treaty with England that 1/3 size of English
army but Hitler created on 60 percent of the English, nothing was done by the west,3rd
appeasement, Rhineland Crisis (1936)- land between Germany and France was
demilitarized and Hitler moved 36000 troops into the Rhineland with Generals against
this, Hitler recreated the Rhineland as now German, completely against the Treaty of
Versailles, Germany respected as world power
1935- Nuremburg Laws, 1st Anti-Semitism laws that were created, Anti-Semitism
was legal, stripped German Jews as citizens, banned inter marriage between Jew and non
Jew (Gentile), singles couldn’t have any relations with any Jew, Jewish professionals
were removed from professions, coming closer to the Holocaust
1938- Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, rampage lead by the SS and Nazi
leadership on Jewish Churches, and businesses, 7000 business were burned, 20000 men
were sent to concentration camps, Jews were now banned from all public buildings and
couldn’t work in businesses, Jewish faith believers needed to move out of Germany,
started by assassination of German Secretary in Paris France

Austria- 1st cousins to the Germans, both are Germans, Hitler wants to rejoin with Austria
and Germany, by Anschluss (union), Austrians votes to join and have union with
German, set campaign against Austrian government so Nazis would become rulers of
Austria and Germany, violations of Treaty of Versailles the 4th Appeasement

Czechoslovakia- had Sudetenland which was German land but was owned by
Czechoslovakia; Hitler used this to get the Nazis to build up and takes the Sudetenland
back to Germany as well as Czechoslovakia

Munich Conference (1938)- Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany representatives

attended to discuss about the Sudetenland, 4th Appeasement, land was given to Hitler and
by 1939 Hitler used military force to take over the rest of Czechoslovakia, “there will be
peace in our time”- Great Britain prime minister Chamberlain, France, Great Britain
made alliance with Poland (1939) to protect Poland from Hitler and Germany, Nazi-
Soviet Pact (Aug. 1939)- done in secret, announce afterwards as non aggression act for
10 years, sell raw material, but secret clause stated when Germany attacked Poland, the
USSR wouldn’t attack them back and USSR would become neutral, divide Poland in half
with the USSR, wanted East Prussia with Germany, September 1, 1939, attack of Poland
and was the 1st day of WWII and started war with England and France because of their
alliance with Poland