Three
days after becoming Chancellor, Hitler addressed his top generals and admirals,
outlining his rearmament intentions in direct defiance of the Versailles Treaty.
This was the beginning of a catalogue of treaty violations that over the next
six years led Europe down the road to war.
In 1935, the people of the Saarland - under French control since the Treaty
- voted decisively to return to Germany. Britain’s policy towards Germany
at this time was one of appeasement, giving concessions to keep the peace. In
1935, Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which relaxed armament
restrictions on Germany. The policy of appeasement, it is now understood, allowed
Hitler more time to ready himself for war.
The
Road to War a gathering storm
