Munich Agreement

Munich Agreement

Munich ConferenceREASONS• Czechs preparing for war• Britain preparing for war ‘Black Wednesday’• Mussolini not ready for war• Mussolini suggests conference – Munich chosen

ARRANGEMENTS• Germany, France, Britain, Italy (Czechoslovakia

and Russia not invited) • Conference began 29 Sept 1938 • Mussolini played leading role• No formal organisation, no minutes taken, no

agenda or chairperson

David Low, What, no chair for me? (Sept 30th 1938)

Published in Scottish Daily Express, 29 September 1938

AGREEMENT • Sudeten land would be Hitler’s on 1 Oct• Plebiscites – supervised by international commission to

decide marginal areas with substantial German pop.• His last territorial claim – didn’t want non Germans• Britain and France guarantee rest Czech against

aggression• Germany and Italy to do same after Poland and

Hungary satisfied• British and French to tell Czech’s the agreement

(Benes protested at this decision – NC told him Britain was unwilling to go to war over the issue)

“Negotiation” – but just giving Hitler what he had demanded at Bad Godesberg

• Heston Airport “peace with honour” “peace in our time”

• Public treat Chamberlain like a hero - War was avoided

• Public increasingly suspicious of Hitler • Churchill, Eden attacked the

agreement - pointed out that not only had the British government behaved dishonourably, but it had lost the support of Czech army, one of the best in Europe

• Duff Cooper resigned

CHAMBERLAIN’S RETURN & PUBLIC REACTIONS

RESULTS• 1 Oct German troops entered Sudetenland• Poland took Teschen – Hungary took South

Slovakia• Benes resigned• Hitler got what he wanted – enhanced prestige• Czech ruined and Poland open to attack• Russia isolated, feeling suspicious • Britain given more time to rearm - British

rearmament increased• Brit and France lost strong ally in the Czechs• Hitler annoyed that he had not been able to use

force

SHOULD A STRONGER STAND HAVE BEEN TAKEN

• Would Hitler have backed down?

• War could have been successful? (German Generals)

• Britain and France in a weaker position

Destruction of Czechoslovakia• Britain and France guaranteed security of Czech• No plebiscites were held• 15 March 1939 German troops march into rest of Czech• Slovakia – German puppet state• Bohemia, Moravia – German protectorateREASONS• Not self-determination• Terrorist regime of Czech? NO ACTION• No longer a viable state – violence• No way help could be given

.......nothing that France or we could do could possibly save Czechoslovakia from being overrun by the Germans if they wanted to do so.......I have therefore abandoned any idea of giving guarantees to Czechoslovakia.Chamberlain wrote this in his diary on 20 March 1938.

I had established a certain confidence which was my aim...in spite of the hardness and ruthlessness I thought I saw in his face, I got the impression that here was a man who would be relied upon when he had given his word.Chamberlain wrote this in a letter to his sister after meeting Hitler at Berchtesgaden in September 1938.

WHY DID CHAMBERLAIN APPEASE?