We explain what the Munich Pact was and what its resolutions were. Also, its consequences and its relationship with the start of World War II.
What was the Munich Pact?
The Munich Pact was an agreement reached in September 1938 by the governments of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, and which allowed the German annexation of the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia.
German leader Adolf Hitler had annexed Austria in March 1938 and sought the annexation of the Sudetenland on the grounds that the majority of its inhabitants were of German origin. The Sudetenland had come under the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia. in 1919, when the peace treaties that followed the First World War (1914-1918) led to the creation of the Czechoslovak State.
Although France had signed a commitment to defend Czechoslovakia in the event of a German attack, it agreed to adhere to the United Kingdom's policy of appeasement. The policy of appeasement consisted of accepting some demands of the Nazi leader to avoid a military confrontation with Germany.
After some diplomatic disagreements, the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and, as a mediator, Italy held a conference in Munich. The result of the conference was the signing of the Munich Pact on September 30, 1938.
Czechoslovakia had to cede the Sudetenland to Germany in exchange for the German promise not to invade the rest of Czechoslovak territory. In March 1939, Germany broke the pact and invaded Czechoslovakia.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Munich Pact?
The Munich Pact was an agreement signed by the governments of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, which accepted the German annexation of the Czechoslovak region of the Sudetenland, inhabited mainly by the German population.
When was the Munich Pact signed?
The Munich Pact was signed on September 30, 1938 in the city of Munich. Its signatories were the leaders of the United Kingdom (Neville Chamberlain), France (Édouard Daladier), Germany (Adolf Hitler) and Italy (Benito Mussolini).
What reasons led France and the United Kingdom to sign the Munich Pact?
France and the United Kingdom sought to avoid a new war in Europe, so they chose to follow the policy of appeasement promoted by the British government: agree to some of Hitler's demands, such as the annexation of the Sudetenland region, to avoid a military confrontation. .
What were the consequences of the Munich Pact?
The Munich Pact allowed German annexation of the Sudetenland in exchange for Germany's refusal to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia. However, the consequence of the Munich Pact was the disintegration of Czechoslovakia due to the subsequent Polish annexation of Teschen, the Hungarian occupation of territories in Slovakia and Ruthenia and, finally, the Nazi invasion of the rest of Czechoslovak territory in March 1939.
See also: German expansion before World War II
The historical context
After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany began a rearmament policy that violated what was agreed in the Treaty of Versailles 1919. Germany soon reestablished compulsory military service and regained control over the Saarland region, which had been left in the hands of France.
In 1936, Hitler ordered the military reoccupation of the Rhineland, in western Germany, and militarily supported the rebel side in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), while France and the United Kingdom pledged not to intervene in the Spanish conflict. to avoid a direct confrontation with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
In 1937, Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and promoted the policy of appeasement, which consisted of give in to some of Hitler's demands to calm his expansionist impulses and avoid a new world war.
Hitler took advantage of the passivity of the British and French governments and began German expansion eastward. In March 1938 he annexed Austria (a process known as Anschluss) and the next step was to attempt the annexation of the region of Czechoslovakia that had a majority German population: the Sudetenland.
Hitler's insistent claims to the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia precipitated a serious crisis in the European summer of 1938. Chamberlain met twice with the Führer in September 1938, with the aim of guaranteeing a peaceful solution to the situation. Finally, on September 29, 1938 a conference met in Munich which was attended by Benito Mussolini (leader of fascist Italy), Hitler, Chamberlain and the president of the French Council of Ministers, Édouard Daladier.
Neither the authorities of the Soviet Union (USSR), who had committed themselves to fulfill their mutual assistance agreement with Czechoslovakia in the event of a German attack, nor the Czechoslovak government were invited to the meeting. France also had signed a mutual assistance agreement with Czechoslovakia, but breached it by signing the Munich Pact.
See also: Interwar period (third stage)
The Munich Pact and its consequences
At the Munich conference,Hitler further hardened his positions and He got practically everything he wanted.: The Czechoslovak government had to immediately evacuate the regions with a predominance of German population (the deadline to complete the evacuation was from October 1 to 10). Germany thus annexed more than 16,000 square kilometerswhere 3,500,000 people lived, including more than 700,000 Czechs.
Furthermore, Poland took advantage of the Czechoslovak defenselessness and on October 1, 1938, annexed the territory of Teschen, with 240,000 inhabitants, of which less than 100,000 were Poles. Hungary annexed a significant swath of Slovakia and Ruthenia, with more than a million inhabitants.
France and the United Kingdom, which due to the signing of the Munich Pact had allowed the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, undertook to defend the borders of what remained of the Czechoslovak State.
Before leaving Munich, Hitler and Chamberlain signed a document in which they declared their desire to ensure peace through consultation and dialogue. Daladier and Chamberlain were welcomed in Paris and London by crowds who hailed them as saviors of peace. Chamberlain proclaimed that he brought “peace with honor, the peace of our time.”
Reality soon showed where Chamberlain's policy of appeasement had led: in March 1939, Hitler invaded what was left of Czechoslovakia and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Munich agreements became the symbol of the failure of the policy of appeasement to stop German expansionism.
References
- Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Munich Agreement. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Cabrera, M., Juliá, S. & Martín Aceña, P. (comps.) (1991). Europe in crisis. 1919-1939. Pablo Iglesias Editorial.
- Kershaw, I. (2013). A friend of Hitler. England and Germany before World War II. Peninsula.
- Sevillano Calero, F. (2020). Europe between the wars. The disrupted order. Synthesis.
- Stone, N. (2013). Brief history of World War II. Ariel.
