History That Doesn't Suck

187: From the Rhineland to Poland (1935–1939): Annexation, Appeasement, & the Start of World War II

08 Sep 2025

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“A great war can hardly be avoided any longer.” This is the story of Nazi Germany’s aggressive territorial expansion and the start of WWII. The Treaty of Versailles has long been a thorn in Adolf Hitler’s side. Its troublesome limits on troops and technology pose challenges for a man bent on taking lebensraum and building a Grossdeuschland by any means necessary. So he starts quietly building planes and submarines. Then he starts publicly adding a few hundred thousand more soldiers. By 1936, he’s ready to move. He remilitarizes the Rhineland. When that goes well, he only grows bolder. He takes Austria. He takes Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Many European leaders—particularly those not named Winston Churchill—fail to grasp just how far the Fuhrer will go. They hope to “appease” him. But when Adolf strikes again, brazenly seizing the rest of Czechoslovakia, even British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is ready to draw a line. That line is Poland.Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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History That Doesn't Suck

187: From the Rhineland to Poland (1935–1939): Annexation, Appeasement, & the Start of World War II

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from History That Doesn't Suck

200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch

197: The Doolittle Raid & the Bataan Death March (Spring 1942)

174: The First “First Hundred Days:” FDR Kicks Off the New Deal

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