signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union that divided Poland between them,
German forces stormed into Poland from the west while Soviet forces assaulted from
the east. Hitler’s real intent was to secure his eastern flank against a Soviet threat while
he assaulted Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and, ultimately, France (intending
to force Britain into neutrality). His grand plan then called for Germany to turn east
and conquer the Soviet Union. Poland was quickly overcome, but because Britain and
France had guaranteed Polish security, the invasion prompted a declaration of war:
World War II had begun.
In 1940, Hitler set his plans into motion and succeeded in a series of rapid con-
quests, culminating in the defeat of France in May. In the late summer and fall, after
being repeatedly rebuffed in its efforts to coerce Britain into neutrality, the Third
Reich prepared to invade and the Battle of Britain ensued. Fought almost entirely in
the air, Britain eventually won the battle with a combination of extreme courage,
resourcefulness, and luck; and Hitler was forced to turn east with a hostile Britain at
his back. In June 1941, the Third Reich undertook the most ambitious land invasionSPAINPORTUGALMOROCCOMOROCCOSPANISH
ALGERIAITALYFRANCEGERMANYSWITZ.POLANDESTONIA
LATVIA
LITHUANIA
PRUSSIAEASTNORWAYSWEDEN FINLANDUNITED
KINGDOMIRELANDAtlantic
OceanDENMARKSLOVAKIA
HUNGARYALBANIA
GREECE TURKEYIRAQSYRIA
LEBANON
PALESTINECYPRUS
CRETEBULGARIA IRANBlack SeaROMANIAMedit
err
an e
an
SeaCORSICA
SARDINIA
SICILYTUNISIAMALTAUNION OF
SOVIET
SOCIALIST
REPUBLICSAxis-aligned
Allies-aligned
NeutralICELANDBELGIUMNETHER-LANDSLUXEMBOURGYUGOSLAVIAEu rope, showing alliances as of 193942 CHAPTER Two ■ Historical context of international relationsESSIR7_CH02_020_069_11P.indd 42 6/14/16 10:02 AM