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GERMANY’S DRIVE FOR EXPANSION
By: Ryan Holman and Olivia Nicholson
HITLERS AMBITIONS
Hitler wanted more land especially in the east according to the Nazi policy
Lebensraum. He used the limitations of the treaty of Versailles as a pretext for
Germany’s right to acquire land where “German Speaking” people lived. They used
this to conquer two entire countries without starting a war. Those two countries are
Austria and Czechoslovakia.
• Austria- taken on March 13th, 1938 by a loop hole in the treaty of Versailles.
• Czechoslovakia- at the Munich conference on September 28th 1938 the French
and British gave Germany parts of Czechoslovakia. Hitler tookthe rest by
March 1939. The French and British did this because they want to repeat the
blood shed of WWI. They thought that with a few concessions to please Hitler,
but they didn’t know he wanted much more than a country
HITLERS BIG EXCUSE
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After gaining Austria and Czechoslovakia to the growing German Empire, he was
extremely confident that he could spread farther east capturing Poland without a fight. In
order to deter a possible fight with the Soviet Union Hitler made the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact , so he could easily take Poland. A man by the name of Heinrich Himmler
made an excuse to attack Poland named Operation Himmler, so they wouldn’t be seen as
the aggressor. This plan came into play on the night of August 31, 1934 Nazi’s took a
unknown prisoner from a concentration camp, and dressed him in a Polish uniform, and
took him to the town of Gleiwitz which is on the border of Germany and Poland.
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VIDEO !
Germanys Drive for Expansion Video !
HITLERS REASONS TO EXPAND
1. To Destroy the Treaty of Versailles
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the Germans hated small armies
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The saar was under the league of Nations control
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They didn’t have the Rhineland
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A union with Austria was forbidden
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Germans were forced to live in Poland and Czechoslovakia
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Danzing was under the league of Nations
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The treaty was a reminder to the Germans that they lost and Hitler couldn’t accept their
defeat.
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Nazi- National socialist German Workers party
HITLER'S REASONS CONTINUED
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2. Expand Germany
Population was growing
Hitler believed they needed more lebensraum or “living space” and he
wanted to do this by taking eastern Europe
This was also tied into his belief that the Aryan race was genetically
superior to all the others and he truly believed he had the right to take
the slaves like Polish and Russians as their slaves
The Nazis were fascists (opposite of communist) unlike communist who
ruled Russia
Hitler blamed communists for Germanys defeat in WWI and geared that
they were trying to take over Germany so they had to destroy
communism, which meant war with Russia
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www.ushmm.org/wle/en/article.php?moduleid=l0005482
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www.history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarII/a/wIIstarts.htm
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http://www.johnclare.net/roadtowwII2.hmt
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www.youtube.com