Germany Rearms

German Rearmament was prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles. They had severe restrictions placed upon their armed forces. As a result, when Hitler started to rearm it had to be done in secret. Hitler also needed to buy time so that the German armed forces would be prepared properly. In order to do this, Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with Poland. This eliminated the military threat from Poland and gave Hitler the time he needed to rearm.

In 1935, Hitler showed off the rearmament effort at the Rearmament Rally, officially called the Freedom to Rearm Rally. This included his new aircraft for the Luftwaffe and the large increase in the number of soldiers. It was at this rally which Hitler showed that he was taking rearming seriously. He promised that Germany would introduce conscription for boys over age of 19. This meant that the German army swelled to around 1 million personnel.

Rearmament was popular in Germany as it reduced unemployment and also increased support for the Nazi Party.