World War Two · Season 9 · Episode 10

How To Distract From the Economy - Q2 1935

Saturday, April 4 · 16 min

June 1935: Adolf Hitler reassures the world with promises of peace - while secretly accelerating Germany’s path to war. in this episode of Death of Democracy, we examine how Hitler manipulated international diplomacy and domestic opinion in the second quarter of 1935. From the collapse of the Stresa Front to the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, foreign leaders were drawn into a dangerous illusion. Meanwhile, inside Germany, antisemitic violence escalated, press censorship intensified under Joseph Goebbels, and economic realities worsened under Hjalmar Schacht’s policies. Drawing on firsthand accounts from William L. Shirer and Victor Klemperer, this episode reveals a society caught between fear, propaganda, and growing dictatorship. How did Hitler convince both his people and world leaders that he wanted peace - while preparing for war?