Sudetenland and the rest of Czechoslovakia 1938 and 1939 Flashcards
What was the Czech army like compared to the Austrian army?
a substantial well-disciplined and well-equiped fighting force
What was the Czech army united in?
united in its determination to resist german invasion
What were German General’s reaction to the news of Hitler’s intention to invade Czechoslovakia?
panic-stricken
Why were german generals panic-stricken by Hitler;s intention to invade Czechoslovakia?
military preparation inadequate
rearmament short of target
the likelihood of foreign intervention and a general war were far greater than before
Why was the likelihood of foreign intervention far greater this time?
Czechoslovakia was formally allied to france
and the invasion could not be presented as anything other than an act of aggression against a sovereign state upon which germany had no claim (unlike austria) to suzerainty in the eyes of the world
Why did german generals have few objections in principle?
Czechoslovakia obtruded geographically into the newly created greater Germany
hatred and contempt for slavs
broader belief in the eventual creation of a german empire in east-central europe
How would he invasion of Czechoslovakia help alleviate the Third Reich’s increasingly dire supply situation?
the acquisition of the czech arms industry
skilled labour
plentiful raw materials
Why were Goring and the generals unconvinced that the moment was right for a move against the czechs?
it seemed to be a reckless foolhardy act running a real risk of a general war for which Germany in their view was quite unprepared
What did goring and the generals think would ave been a better plan of action?
be more prudent to wait, pile on the pressure and secure piecemeal concessions
5 May 1938?
General ludwig beck informed hitler that germany was in no position to win a war should britain intervene to protect the czechs
16 july 1938?
ludwig beck issued a memorandum warning of the dire consequences should the invasion go ahead
Why didn’t Ludwig Becks idea of getting the generals to resign en masse against hitler’s plans happen?
generals were still demoralised by the blomberg-fritsch scandal
locked in a tradition of belief that duty of soldiers was to obey orders and not to involve themselves in politics
they did not disagree with hitler’s aims of attacking czechoslovakia only its timing
what emerged as consequence of the notion of the superiority of the opponent?
a defeatism that escalated into the strongest criticism of the adventurous policy of the reich
What did the people fear would happen to the economy if the they destroyed sudetenland?
the incorporation of the sudetenland int Germany would impose severe economic burden on the reich
What did the people do for fear of the economic burden of the incorporation of sudetenland into germany?
people were withdrawing their savings from banks in panic
Did the people ideologically support hitler’s plans for Czechoslovakia?
most people believed the demands of the sudeten germans justified but they wanted them to be justified without war
what was the sentiments of some -ex-social democrats?
hoped for war as the only way to get rid of the nazis
what were the sentiments of some workers?
a fatalism emerged
what were the sentiments of some young people?
swept away by the vision of a great germany bestriding a vanquished europe
what were the sentiments of some old people?
confusion and felt they lacked detailed information
a phrase to describe the popular mood towards war?
war psychosis
What evidence is there in the late summer and eary autumn of 1938 of opposition to Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia?
increased number of people brought to special courts for criticism of hitler himself
What was the popular response to the Munich Agreement?
wave of relief
everyone was relieved hitler had gained new territory without bloodshed
What did a social democratic agent report about the Munich agreement?
almost everyone saw it as a 100% success of hitler
What evidence is there of the positive public reaction to the Munich agreement?
Chamberlain cheered as he passed through the streets of munich after signing the agreement
What did the munich agreement do Hitler’s popularity in germany?
agreement greatly strengthened hitler’s power and prestige
who had the decisive influence over hitler in the munich agreement?
goring
why did goring press for the munich agreement?
he was appalled that a general war was being risked over an issue where the key concessions to germany had been made already
What did goring do to fashion the munich agreement?
behind hitler’s back he brokered a conference with the british, the french and crucially the italians
and persuaded hitler to agree
When was the Munich agreement?
the conference met in Munich on 29 september 1938
how did hitler feel about the munich agreement?
he had been cheated of the war for which he had been planning
How did hitler feel towards goring after the Munich agreement?
resentful for his intervention
How did political/personal relations change after the munich agreement?
relations between goring and hitler cooled
which left ribbbentrop and himmler in better positions
the army general and co-conspirators had to abandon their plans for a coup in the light of this peaceful outcome but they were left weakened in their standing with hitler
27 september 1938?
hitler organised military parade through berlin most people duked into subways to avod it and those who remain watched in silence - no enthusiasm = hitler furious
Was there general consensus for the incorporation of memel into the reich?
approval of the incorporation of memel into the reich was almost universal
following the invasion of ssssudetenland, when was the invasion of the rest of czechoslovakia?
the crisis of March 1939 was a brief one
what was the public sentiment towards invasion of czechoslovakia?
not the build up of war pyschosis as last time
anxiety about the consequences of the invasion
Why was there anxiety about the consequences of the invasion of czechoslovakia?
could not be justified as the rescue of a german minority from oppression despite the fact that goebbels propaganda claimed that the czech’s had been abusing the german minority
At one point did people begin to applaud hitler’s latest success?
announcement that the occupation had been achieved without loss of life
how were many people reported as feeling?
indifferent
Why were many people indifferent?
nationalist sensibilities had been dulled by the ervious successes in austria and sudetenland
Why according to cynical worker was this hitler’s least popular victory?
we were always winning once before and it came to a bad end- ww1
