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Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini Adolf Hitler (right) is considered one of the most brutal dictators in history. After purging possible rivals for leadership, Hitler rearmed Germany into a modern war machine. He and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (left), both Fascists, became allies in 1936. They are shown here in Munich, Germany, in 1937.

German Troops in Cologne in the 1930s In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, which German officials had signed at the end of World War I (1914-1918), German Chancellor Adolf Hitler built up Germany’s armed forces and sent troops into the Rhineland and Austria. Hitler’s forces then seized Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and France.

Hitler at Nürnberg At Nürnberg, Führer Adolf Hitler preached to the assembled German soldiers and Nazi party faithful that they were a superior race that deserved more than they had, including additional Lebensraum, or living space, and a higher standard of living. Hitler was an emotional speaker who had a mesmerizing effect on those who listened. By 1938 he had amassed the best-equipped, best-trained army in the world.

Result of German Blitzkrieg on Poland On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army expected the attack to come along the Polish frontiers. But Hitler introduced a new kind of war called a blitzkrieg, which means “lightning war.” Waves of German bombers targeted railroads in Tczew, shown here, which crippled Polish military mobilization. Hundreds of tanks smashed through Polish defenses and rolled deep into the country. The Poles fought hard, but on September 17, the Soviet Union invaded their country from the east. By the end of the month, Poland had fallen.

Victorious German Soldiers As German tanks and aircraft pushed north of the Maginot line in May 1940, the French army was caught off guard. Although both armies were about equal in strength in terms of troops and tanks, the Germans had superior numbers of aircraft and an invasion plan. The blitzkrieg sent French forces into a confused retreat, and as the Germans marched into Paris on June 14, the French government collapsed.