German and Italian expansion: Responses

Italian Aggression in Abyssinia, 1935-36

The invasion was a display of Fascist imperialism designed to divert attention from economic and political problems at home.
Reviving old grievances from the First Italo-Ethiopian War and the Treaty of Addis Ababa, Italy saw the move as their way of gaining prestige on the world stage.
The League of Nations, rendered ineffective, issued economic sanctions on Italy but crucially excluded key resources like coal and oil, rendering the response ineffective.

German Remilitarization of the Rhineland, 1936

In violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, Hitler sent German troops into the demilitarised Rhineland.
By not taking any military action, Britain and France essentially condoned Germany’s violation, which emboldened Hitler to continue his policy of aggression.

Anschluss with Austria, 1938

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles, but was popular with many Austrians.
Britain and France, following their policy of appeasement, chose not to intervene despite it being a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

Munich Agreement and Czechoslovakia, 1938

Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement reached its peak with the Munich Agreement, which ceded the Sudetenland to Germany.
Czechoslovakia was betrayed by its allies, Britain and France, as it wasn’t even invited to the meeting.
Hitler promised it would be his last territorial demand in Europe, but soon violated the agreement by occupying the remainder of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union, 1939

Known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, it cleared the way for Germany to attack Poland without fear of Soviet intervention.
The pact included secret protocols for the division of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence.
The pact allowed Hitler to initiate World War II with the invasion of Poland.