Question

What action did Hitler take in defiance of the Versailles Treaty? How did he explain his action?

What was the reaction in France? How might this have led to war?

Answer 1

Answer;
Action taken by Hitler in defiance of the Versailles Treaty;
He moved his troops into the Rhineland in violation of the treaty of Versailles.
Explanation for his action;
He did this because he said that it was time for Germany to be treated as an equal to the rest of the countries of Europe and no longer as a defeated punished nation;
France reaction;
France went to the League of nations and asked Germany be removed from the Rhineland diplomatically or by "stronger pressure" if necessary.

Answer 2

In defiance of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler sent troops to the Rhineland in 1936, starting a crisis with France.

The Crisis in the Rhineland was a diplomatic crisis caused by the remilitarization of that German region by Adolf Hitler on March 7, 1936, violating one of the points established in the Treaty of Versailles: the prohibition to Germany of stationing military forces of any kind in the bordering region with France and Belgium, without the prior permission of such States.

The German military deployment occurred suddenly on the morning of Saturday, March 7, 1936, when three infantry regiments of the Wehrmacht began their penetration in the Rhineland and occupied the empty military installations in the area.

The diplomatic crisis lasted little and was of little importance, because although the French army could have responded effectively and easily, the French and British governments continued with the policy of appeasement that would later allow Hitler to incorporate Austria and later allow the occupation of Czechoslovakia after the crisis of the Sudetenland, following its declared expansionism that would lead to the Second World War.