Interwar German Expansion and Appeasement

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland, the Austrian Anschluss, and the Sudetenland Crisis.

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

Hitler's gamble of sending troops into the Rhineland to defend Germany's western borders prior to expanding eastward, succeeding because Britain and France chose not to intervene.

Franco-Soviet Pact

An agreement made between France and the USSR that caused Hitler to feel threatened, prompting him to remilitarise the Rhineland to strengthen Germany.

Abyssinian Crisis

The international crisis that preoccupied the League of Nations, preventing them from taking decisive action when demanding Germany withdraw from the Rhineland.

Lebensraum

A German concept meaning 'living space' that Hitler sought to gain in the east once Germany's western borders were secure.

Dollfuss Affair (1934)

A failed 1934 attempt at Anschluss between Germany and Austria that was successfully stopped by Mussolini.

Anschluss

The political union of Germany and Austria intended to unite all German-speaking people, destroy the Treaty of Versailles (TOV), and provide Germany with Austrian iron and steel.

Kurt Schuschnigg

The Austrian leader who asked Britain and France for help against Hitler, was refused, and was coerced into appointing Seyss-Inquart as minister of the interior before resigning.

Arthur Seyss-Inquart

An Austrian politician appointed minister of the interior under Hitler's demands, who subsequently became chancellor and invited Hitler into Austria.

1938 Austrian Plebiscite

A public vote held by Hitler in Austria where $99.75\%$ of Austrians reportedly voted in favor of the Anschluss.

Austrian Armed Forces Integration

The addition of an Austrian army of $100,000$ soldiers to Germany's military forces following the Anschluss, increasing Hitler's confidence and intimidating Czechoslovakia.

Sudetenland

A resource-rich border region of Czechoslovakia containing factories, industry, and $3\text{ million}$ Sudeten Germans, which provided a strategic base for attacking Czechoslovakia.

Konrad Henlein

The leader of the Sudeten Germans who claimed that the German population was being persecuted by the Czechs.

Berchtesgaden Meeting (15th September 1938)

A meeting where Neville Chamberlain met Hitler, who demanded part of the Sudetenland and proposed that the transfer be decided via a plebiscite.

Godesberg Meeting (22nd September 1938)

The second meeting between Chamberlain and Hitler, where Hitler escalated his demands to all of the Sudetenland without a vote, threatening war if Britain did not comply.

Munich Conference (29th September 1938)

The final diplomatic meeting regarding the Sudetenland crisis, organized by Italian leader Benito Mussolini.