Prelude to World War II: The Munich Conference, 1938

Chamberlain and Hitler, a Contrast British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain wanted peace while Hitler wanted war. No one knew, though, how intent Adolf Hitler was for war. This duo--Chamberlain and Hitler--met twice. Then, in desperation, Chamberlain proposed a third meeting. The third meeting turned into one of the most momentous diplomatic occasions of the twentieth century--the Munich Conference of 1938. It came during September, at the peak of the Czech crisis over the Sudetenland. Attendees at the Munich Conference Here are the leading diplomats present at the Munich Conference: Neville Chamberlain of Britain Adolf Hitler of Germany Benito Mussolini of Italy Edouard Daladier of France

Britain and France, the two countries representing democracy, had to choose between sacrificing a sovereign democratic state to Hitler and risking a major war. They chose not to risk war. The Munich Agreement On September 29, all four leaders--Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini, and Daladier--agreed on Germany's right to occupy the Sudetenland. In addition, Germany received the highway rights through central Czechoslovakia to Vienna as well as the right to occupy some Czech border forts. Czechoslovakia lost 16,000 of its former 52,000 square miles and 5 million of its 15 million inhabitants. In other words, Czechoslovakia lost about one-third of its former self. Although Hitler had claimed his victory based on German nationality, more than one million Czechs and Slovaks also came under his tyrannical rule. Role of Czechoslovakia at the Conference The one power who was not consulted at the Munich Conference was Czechoslovakia. The Czechs had no voice whatsoever in the Munich Agreement. They were merely forced to submit.

The Invasion of Czechoslovakia Underscores the Reasons against Appeasement in the 1940s
Munich Conference Aftermath Despite the Czech sacrifice imposed by the Munich Conference, the democracies of the world heralded the Munich agreement with wile enthusiasm and rejoicing, for just about everybody concluded war had been averted. When Neville Chamberlain returned to England, all sorts of wild crowds greeted him. In his return speech, Chamberlain state that he had not only brought back peace with honor but also, so he hoped, peace in our time. One of the few Englishmen to question Chamberlain and the Munich Agreement was future war-leader Winston Churchill. Churchill denounced the Munich Conference as a total defeat for the democracies, but in his denunciation, Winston Churchill stood as a lone voice. His stand was objected to loudly by most members of Parliament. Those who expected Hitler to stop with his gains at Munich were soon disappointed. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain really didn't think Hitler wanted to destroy Czechoslovakia, but if he did, Chamberlain did not think Hitler could be stopped. If Chamberlain were writing a letter to the Czechs, he might would have said: Dear Czechsolovakyer I don't think he's going to attack yer But even if he does I'm not going to back yer Hitler Invades Czechoslovakia after the Sudetenland and the Munich Peace Conference During the days immediately following the Munich Peace Conference, most leaders of the free world saw the conference as a measure that would bring peace to the world. Everyone assumed Hitler would be satisfied first with Austria and then the Sudetenland. But then, next on the list, in the middle of March 1939, Hitler occupied all of Czechoslovakia and declared it under German protection. This marked the extinction of the Czech state. Reasons against Appeasement in the 1940s Neither Britain nor France took action against Hitler. despite their pledge at Munich. Hitler was jubilant, for by this time, he had become fully convinced the democracies would not stand in his way. But this time Hitler was wrong. Until March 1939, he had correctly gauged public opinion in the democracies. As it happened, the seizure of Czechoslovakia brought the policy of appeasement to an abrupt end. Many people who had sincerely believed that it was possible to negotiate with Hitler suddenly realized that they had been tricked, for Hitler had blatantly violated the Munich Agreement. His violation underscored the reasons against appeasement in the 1940s.

The Invasion of Poland: Among Reasons against Appeasement in the 1940s

Adolf Hitler Eyes Poland: Danzig and the Polish Corridor By 1939, it had become clear that Hitler's next victim would be Poland. On March 31, as if he had learned lessons from his previous attempts at appeasement, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain assured the House of Commons that Britain and France would intervene if Germany attacked Poland. Though Hitler reacted with fury, he still believed Britain and France would not go to war. On April 3, 1939, Hitler ordered his army to be ready to attack Poland by the first of September. Meanwhile, he demanded Danzig and the Polish Corridor from Poland because those areas were largely German population. Soviet German Non-Aggression Pact During the summer of 1939, Britain made half-hearted overtures to Russia to get her on the British side in the defense of Danzig and the Polish Corridor. But, since most English people distrusted Russia, Britain's overtures were only half-hearted. As a matter of fact, Joseph Stalin took the initiative--but not with Britain. While he distrusted the democracies, he even more so dreaded facing Hitler alone. So Joseph Stalin proposed a non-aggression pact with Germany. Hitler agreed and the two outlaws signed their non-aggression pact of August 23, 1939. Stalin was delighted with the non-aggression pact, for he felt protected against Germany for the moment and had gained time to rearm. Hitler was also delighted. With Russia avowedly neutral, he would not face a war on two fronts. The bargain between these two traditional enemies came as a stunning blow to the democracies. Many French and British concluded Stalin was giving Hitler full approval to go to war. The Start of World War II Gives Reasons against Appeasement in the 1940s At dawn, on September 1, 1939, after a staged border incident which provided a transparent pretext, German armies invaded Poland. The German masses, aware that a major war was brewing, met the news with sullen silence. This time, though, the democracies acted. Britain and France demanded the withdrawal of German troops from Poland. But Hitler indignantly refused. Consequently, on September 3, 1939, in fulfillment of their pledges, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Reasons against appeasement in the 1940s became clear.