Munich Agreement

• Munich Agreement - First Meeting

  • 15 Sep 1938 : Chamberlain met Hitler in Germany to discuss the Sudetenland issue. Hitler only asked for parts of Sudetenland with majority Germans, and only after a plebiscite was conducted. Chamberlain found this reasonable.
• Munich Agreement - Second Meeting

  • 15-29 Sep 1939 : Britain & France convinced Benes to give Hitler the parts of Sudetenland he wanted. But Hitler suddenly changed his mind and asked for the whole of Sudetenland and threatened war. War seemed unavoidable
  • 29 Sep 1938 : Britain, France, Italy and Germany met at the Munich Conference and agreed that the whole of Sudetenland would be given to Germany in exchange for Hitler’s promise to not invade Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia & USSR were not consulted in this decision.
• Reactions to the Munich Agreement


  • Benes objected strongly but was told he would have to fight the Germans alone if he resisted

  • USSR was angry as they had their own treaty with Czechoslovakia and was concerned about its own security if Germany expanded up to Soviet union

  • Chamberlain believed that he had achieved peace and many in Britain were relieved that war has been avoided. Saw Chamberlain as a hero.

  • But there were also critics - people like Winston Churchill recognized Hitler could not be trusted and that appeasing him was not a long-term solution to keeping peace.
• Consequences and aftermath of the Munich Agreement

  • October 1938 : German troops entered Sudetenland. Czechoslovakia lost 70% of heavy industries and much of their fortifications.

  • March 1939, Hitler broke his promise and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia

  • Appeasement had clearly failed to curb German aggression

  • Germany managed to gain military strength and resources needed to wage war throughout the 1930s

  • Convinced Hitler that Britain and France were weak and would not fight back. This made Hitler bolder and more aggressive in his actions, leading to World War II.