The Munich Agreement was an agreement signed September 30, 1938, widely known today as “a failed act of appeasement towards Germany”. The agreement was discussed and negotiated at the Munich conference among the Great Powers of Europe, excluding the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. The agreements was signed by Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The main purpose oft he conference was to discuss the future of the Sudetenland, a territory on Czechoslovakia’s borders, because Germany had just invaded it. The invasion of the Sudetenland came directly after the German absorption and overtaking of Austria in March 1938. The invasion was such a big deal to Czechoslovakia because most of its border defense were held and stationed there, also enstated there were many of its banks and heavy industries. Prior to the invasion Hitler made many speeches on why he was going to invade, those being that over three million of the residents of the Sudetenland were of German background and because of that background they needed to return and be reunited with their homeland. Hitler was benevolant and refused to avoid war, he wanted the Sudentenland and the “superior" race to rule the world. So the Munich Conference and agreement were held as a last minute device to save the continent from war, eventually though war still did happen with Hitler’s invasion of Poland.
After Neville Chamberlain, who represented Great Britain, returned home from the Munich Conference he gave a speech to his people stating, “The Munich Pact [was] bringing ‘peace with honor’ and ‘peace in our time’” Though many disagreed with him, including the famous Winston Churchill who argued that, “the Munich Agreement became a byword for the futility of appeasing expansionist totalitarian states, although it did buy time for the Allies to increase their military preparedness”. Though many British citizens especially Chamberlain believed that peace was among them they were wrong, “In March 1939, Hitler annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia, and the country ceased to exist”
Long awaited, “September 1, 1939 German army divisions invaded Poland despite British and French threats to intervene on the nation’s behalf. Two days later, Chamberlain solemnly called for a British declaration of war against Germany, and World War II began."
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