One of his main goals for the Third Reich was to create a "Gross Deutschland," also known as Pan-Germanism, which supported the unification of Germans in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. A majority of these grievances derive from the Versailles settlement, which split many Germans from the motherland due to partitioning of German territories. The Hossbach Memorandum, a meeting between Hitler and his top advisors, outlined Hitler's "last will and testament" of external policy regarding Austria and Czechoslovakia. Hitler's goal of uniting Germany with Austria, a term forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, was known as Anschluss. Germany's first attempt at obtaining Austria arrived in 1934, but Hitler's actions were halted by Mussolini's mobilization of troops. Mussolini had signed the Stresa Front agreement with Britain and France that guaranteed Italty's position as a buffer to halt Nazi expansion goals. However, in 1938, Anschluss was ultimately achieved with Mussolini's approval. Throughout the years, Mussolini's opinions changed in that he sought to align himself closer to Hitler, in part because of their similar fascist ideologies and Mussolini's idolization of Hitler. The two strikingly similar nation's fates were ultimately intertwined with the Pact of Steel, uniting Germany and Italy economically as well as militarily. However, the pact would prove to be Italy's ultimate downfall, as Hitler's overly ambitious goals of conquering Europe played a toll on
One of his main goals for the Third Reich was to create a "Gross Deutschland," also known as Pan-Germanism, which supported the unification of Germans in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. A majority of these grievances derive from the Versailles settlement, which split many Germans from the motherland due to partitioning of German territories. The Hossbach Memorandum, a meeting between Hitler and his top advisors, outlined Hitler's "last will and testament" of external policy regarding Austria and Czechoslovakia. Hitler's goal of uniting Germany with Austria, a term forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, was known as Anschluss. Germany's first attempt at obtaining Austria arrived in 1934, but Hitler's actions were halted by Mussolini's mobilization of troops. Mussolini had signed the Stresa Front agreement with Britain and France that guaranteed Italty's position as a buffer to halt Nazi expansion goals. However, in 1938, Anschluss was ultimately achieved with Mussolini's approval. Throughout the years, Mussolini's opinions changed in that he sought to align himself closer to Hitler, in part because of their similar fascist ideologies and Mussolini's idolization of Hitler. The two strikingly similar nation's fates were ultimately intertwined with the Pact of Steel, uniting Germany and Italy economically as well as militarily. However, the pact would prove to be Italy's ultimate downfall, as Hitler's overly ambitious goals of conquering Europe played a toll on