The Rise of Hitler and the Origins of the Cold War

Historical vocabulary terms covering Nazi Germany's expansionist policies, the failure of appeasement, and the initial ideological conflicts of the Cold War from 1918 to 1948.

Mein Kampf

The book written by Adolf Hitler in 1925 that laid out his plans for Germany, including abolishing the Treaty of Versailles and expanding German territory.

November Criminals

The name Hitler gave to the German leaders who signed the Treaty of Versailles, which he viewed as a constant reminder of defeat and humiliation.

Rearmament

The process begun in secret in 1933 by Hitler to increase Germany's armed forces and reduce unemployment by drafting workers into the army.

Anglo-German Naval Agreement

A 1935 agreement between Britain and Germany that helped dismantle the Treaty of Versailles by allowing Germany to increase its naval strength.

Saar plebiscite

A 1935 vote held by the League of Nations in which approximately $90$ percent of the population voted to return to German rule.

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

March 1936 event where Hitler moved $20,000$ troops into a demilitarised zone, breaking both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties of 1925.

Luftwaffe

The German air force, which Hitler tested during the Spanish Civil War to develop new military tactics.

Blitzkrieg

The 'lightning war' military tactics developed by the German military during their intervention in the Spanish Civil War.

Anti-Comintern Pact

A 1936 agreement signed between Germany and Japan to oppose the spread of communism.

Rome-Berlin Axis

An alliance formed in 1937 when Italy joined Germany and Japan in the Anti-Comintern Pact.

Anschluss

The political union of Germany and Austria achieved in March 1938, which was supported by $99.75$ percent of the voters in a plebiscite.

The Sudetenland

An area of Czechoslovakia with many German speakers that Hitler demanded and eventually occupied following the Munich Agreement in 1938.

Munich Agreement

A meeting on 29 September 1938, where Britain, France, and Italy agreed to give Hitler the Sudetenland without consulting Czechoslovakia or the USSR.

Appeasement

The policy followed by Britain and France in the 1930s of making concessions to Hitler to avoid a military conflict.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A 23 August 1939 agreement between Hitler and Stalin where they agreed not to attack each other and to divide Poland between them.

Polish Corridor

A strip of former German land in Poland that became Hitler's target after the takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1939.

Yalta Conference

A February 1945 meeting between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill to plan the postwar division of Germany and the establishment of the United Nations.

Potsdam Conference

A July 1945 meeting between Stalin, Truman, and Attlee characterized by growing suspicion and disagreements over German reparations and Eastern Europe.

Iron Curtain

The term used to describe the border and ideological divide between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the Western democratic nations.

Cominform

The Communist Information Bureau set up by Stalin in October 1947 to coordinate and control the communist parties of Eastern Europe.

Truman Doctrine

The American policy announced in 1947 to provide money, equipment, and advice to any country threatened by a communist take-over.

Containment

The strategic policy of the United States aimed at stopping the spread of communism further from Eastern Europe.

The Marshall Plan

An American initiative proposed in December 1947 to provide approximately $17$ billion in aid to rebuild Europe's economy and prevent the spread of communism.