What event is known as the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938?

The event known as the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938 is referred to as the Anschluss. This term specifically denotes the political union of Germany and Austria, which was achieved through a combination of military pressure and political maneuvering by Adolf Hitler.

The significance of the Anschluss lies in its demonstration of Germany's aggressive expansionist policies leading up to World War II, as it was one of the first direct violations of the Treaty of Versailles and set a precedent for further territorial ambitions by Nazi Germany. The annexation was met with little resistance from other European powers, highlighting the policy of appeasement that characterized the response to Hitler's actions during this period.

Other options relate to different historical events. The Spanish Civil War was a conflict fought from 1936 to 1939, primarily between Republicans and Nationalists in Spain, and is not directly related to Nazi Germany's actions regarding Austria. The Munich Agreement was a settlement reached in 1938 that allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, but it is separate from the events surrounding Austria's annexation. The Sudetenland Crisis refers specifically to the tension surrounding this region in Czechoslovakia during the same period, again distinct from the Anschluss