Czechoslovakia and Munich 1938 + Appeasement

Question 1

Why did Hitler put pressure on Czechoslovakia in 1938?

Answer 1

• There were large amounts of ethnice Germans in the Sudetenland - 3 million
• He wanted to expand for Lebensraum

Question 2

What was the stance of France, Britain, USSR and Germany towards Czechoslovakia?

Answer 2

• France, Britain & USSR all promised to help Czechoslovakia if the Germans invaded
• Hitler promised that he wouldn’t invade

Question 3

What prompted unrest between the countries?

Answer 3

• Hitler soon claimed the Czechs were discriminating against the Germans in the Sudetenland and Nazis in the Sudetenland protested to be part of Germany
• In May 1938, Hitler threatened to go to war, the Czech leader: Benes, was ready too.
• Daladier and Chamberlain put pressure on Benes to make concessions

Question 4

What happened in September 1938?

Answer 4

• Chamberlain flew to Germany twice to negotiate
• But then Hitler changed his mind and set a date of 1st October to “rescue” the Sudeten Germans.
• Chamberlain said this was “unreasonable” and the Navy was mobilised for war

Question 5

What happened at the Munich Conference?

Answer 5

• Hitler invited Mussolini, Daladier and Chamberlain to a conference in Munich
• Mussolini put forward a plan that was really devised by the German Foreign Office
• They produced the Munich Agreement: gave Sudetenland to Germany but guaranteed the rest of Czechoslovakia stayed put

Question 6

Who wasn’t happy with the Munich Agreement and why?

Answer 6

• The Czechs: they weren’t invited to the talks so didn’t have a say on their own future
• The USSR wasn’t invited to the talks either, so were horrified at the agreement because they didn’t like the German expansion

Question 7

Why did some people like the Munich Agreement?

Answer 7

1) No one wanted war, and this “Appeasement” policy (card 8) was the only peaceful way of making Hitler stop
2) The Treaty was unfair on Germany so they should be given the chance to rebuild
3) Some British MPs feared the USSR ad wanted Germany to be a buffer between them
4) British army and economy were both weak, and this agreement gave Chamberlain the chance to rearm more

Question 8

What happened in 1939 anyway?

Answer 8

1) After losing the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia began to descend into anarchy and Slovakia began to demand independence
2) Hitler persuaded the Czech president to let in troops to “restore order”
3) In May 1939, Hitler and Mussolini signed the Pact of Steel, supporting each other if war broke out
4) Britain and France did nothing: Appeasement had failed
5) Once Germany took all of Czechoslovakia, Britain and France abandoned Appeasement and promised Poland their aid if Germany attacked

Question 9

What was the policy of Appeasement?

Answer 9

• Efforts by France and Britain to allow Nazi Germany to have all it wanted
  Hopefully, Hitler would be appeased and cease his aggressive policies.
• However, each time Hitler was allowed to get away with something, the policy simply whetted his appetite because he knew he could get away with even more