Conflict and Tension 1918-1939Topic Summary
Topic Summary: The Steps to War 1936–1939
Part of Steps to War — GCSE History
This topic summary covers Topic Summary: The Steps to War 1936–1939 within Steps to War for GCSE History. Revise Steps to War in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 13 of 13 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 13 of 13
Practice
8 questions
Recall
4 flashcards
Topic Summary: The Steps to War 1936–1939
Key Terms
- Remilitarisation: Sending German troops into the demilitarised Rhineland zone (1936)
- Anschluss: Union of Germany and Austria (March 1938) — forbidden by Versailles
- Sudetenland: Western border region of Czechoslovakia — 3 million ethnic Germans, given to Hitler at Munich
- Nazi-Soviet Pact: Non-aggression agreement (August 1939) — removed Hitler's fear of two-front war
- Locarno Treaties: 1925 agreement guaranteeing western European borders — also broken by Rhineland
Key Dates
- Mar 1936: Rhineland remilitarised — Hitler gambles and wins
- Mar 1938: Anschluss — Austria united with Germany
- Sep 1938: Munich Agreement — Sudetenland given to Hitler
- Mar 1939: Rest of Czechoslovakia seized — appeasement abandoned
- Aug 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact signed
- 1 Sep 1939: Germany invades Poland
- 3 Sep 1939: Britain and France declare war
Key People
- Adolf Hitler: Pursued each step systematically, exploiting British and French appeasement
- Neville Chamberlain: British PM — flew to Germany three times during Sudetenland crisis; signed Munich Agreement
- Edouard Daladier: French PM who co-signed Munich Agreement
- Vyacheslav Molotov / Joachim von Ribbentrop: Soviet and German foreign ministers who signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Must-Know Facts
- Rhineland (1936): only 22,000 troops, ordered to retreat if France resisted — they didn't
- Anschluss plebiscite showed 99.7% support — the vote was rigged
- Sudetenland contained ALL of Czechoslovakia's defensive fortifications
- Czechoslovakia was NOT consulted at Munich — Britain and France decided without them
- RASC-IP mnemonic: Rhineland, Anschluss, Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia (rest), Invasion Poland
Cross-Topic Links
- → Topic 28 (Hitler's Foreign Policy): Each step here is the execution of an aim outlined in Mein Kampf (1925) — Rhineland reversed Versailles, Anschluss and Sudetenland built Grossdeutschland, and the invasion of Poland began Lebensraum.
- → Topic 30 (Appeasement): The steps only succeeded because of appeasement — France did not resist the Rhineland, Britain and France accepted Anschluss without resistance, and Munich gave Hitler the Sudetenland, so each step emboldened the next.
- → Topic 31 (Munich Agreement): Munich is the pivotal step — it gave Germany not just the Sudetenland but also Czech defensive fortifications and the Skoda arms works, transforming Hitler's military capacity for the later steps.
- → Topic 22 (Treaty of Versailles): The Rhineland (1936) broke both Versailles and the Locarno Pact — but France, the main enforcer of Versailles, failed to act even though Hitler's troops were under orders to retreat if challenged.
- → Topic 32 (Outbreak of War): The seizure of the rest of Czechoslovakia (March 1939) was the step that ended appeasement — it proved Hitler's aims went beyond Versailles revision and triggered the British guarantee to Poland that made war inevitable.