The road to the Second World War in 1939. The film footage shows the prehistory and the German attack on Poland in 1939.
The road to the Second World War in 1939
Description
The road to the Second World War in 1939
Historical context
Under Hitler, Germany began to expand its territory by remilitarising the Rhineland in 1935, annexing Austria in 1938 (Anschluss) and occupying parts of Czechoslovakia (Munich Agreement). The policy of appeasement practised by the Western powers helped to enable Hitler’s expansionism by giving in to prevent another war.
In March 1939, Prague and the rest of Czechoslovakia were occupied by the Wehrmacht. The pact with the Soviet Union is concluded in the summer of 1939. The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union that contained a mutual guarantee of non-aggression and provided for the division of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
The outbreak of the Second World War occurred on 1 September 1939 when Germany attacked Poland. This led to a swift reaction from Great Britain and France, who declared war on Germany.
