On October 1st, 1938, Adolph Hitler and the armies of Nazi Germany crossed into the Sudetenland, which at the time was a western region of the state of Czechoslovakia. Though not yet at war with Europe, the annexation of the Sudetenland is considered to be a pivotal move towards the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the onset of World War 2.
The Sudetenland was made up mostly of ethnic Germans, and Hitler gained the territory by proclaiming himself a champion of these citizens. Following the entry of Austria into the Third Reich in March of 1938, Hitler was prepared to make more aggressive moves against Czechoslovakia. A German nationalist party in the Sudetenland used radical demands, with the backing of the Reich, to force the Czechoslovakian government into action.
On April 24th, the Sudetendeutsche Party issued a proclamation demanding the Czech government equalize status between the Sudeten-Germans and the Czech people. The government accepted some of the demands, while ignoring others. Diplomatic efforts by the British government to mediate between Germany and Czechoslovakia failed, largely due to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlains appeasement policy towards Hitler.
On September 15th, Chamberlain and Hitler met and agreed to the cession of the Sudetenland to Germany. Hitler was not content with this and demanded the territories be put under German military occupation, so that Czechoslovakia would be given no time to protect itself. Chamberlain and the French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier, agreed to this demand as well, after intervention by Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. The Munich Agreement allowed the immediate German occupation of the Sudentenland, and between October 1st and October 10th, the Sudetenland became a part of the Third Reich.
Shortly after the occupation of the Sudetenland, Jews living in the area were viciously persecuted. The “Kristallnacht”, or Night of Broken Glass, occurred a few days later. The occupation of the Sudetenland is also seen as an example of the failure of the French and British governments to stop German expansion.
Chamberlain’s and Daladier’s appeasement policies did not limit Hitler’s ambitions, but allowed him to increase the power of the Third Reich. As a result of these policies, World War 2 broke out, and much of Europe was devastated because of it.
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