Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and Locarno Treaty, which had prohibited German troops in the border region with France. France wanted to respond militarily but did not without British support, and Britain pursued a policy of appeasement. Hitler was able to achieve this goal because international attention was focused on the Abyssinian Crisis, allowing Germany to remilitarize the Rhineland without resistance.