How did Nazi Germany expand into Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938?

In 1938, Nazi Germany expanded its territory through a combination of political intimidation, diplomatic pressure, and the threat of force, often maintaining a facade of legality to achieve its objectives.12

Annexation of Austria

Hitler pursued the Anschluss by pressuring Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg. After bullying Schuschnigg into concessions at Berchtesgaden, Hitler moved to occupy the country on March 12, 1938, after Schuschnigg attempted to hold a plebiscite on the issue. Following the occupation, a controlled plebiscite was held, and Austria was formally annexed into the Third Reich.13

Annexation of the Sudetenland

Hitler used the grievances of the Sudeten German minority in Czechoslovakia as a pretext for expansion. By exploiting ethnic tensions and demanding autonomy for the region, he created a crisis that pressured France and Great Britain to intervene. This culminated in the Munich Agreement on September 29–30, 1938, where the Western powers issued an ultimatum forcing Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Germany.14