In 1933 Adolf Hitler took over Germany as Führer and the Third Reich ended. In 1938 Austria was annexed. In 1939 Germany took control of the Czech Republic and established a puppet state in Slovakia. After this due to threats from Britain and France and the implied threat of American military action Adolf Hitler consolidated his earnings and did not proceed further. However, the Slovak Republic was invaded and transformed into the Slovak Socialist Republic by the Soviet Union in 1943 despite German objections. Adolf Hitler died in 1948 of a heart attack and was succeeded by Karl Dönitz.