IB- The Policy of Appeasement and the Munich Conference2.ppt

IB Diploma Lecture on the impact of Appeasement as a cause of World War Two.

1. The Policy of Appeasement and the
Munich Conference
"An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile
hoping it will eat him last.“
--Winston Churchill

2. What is appeasement?
►When using the word appeasementin
diplomatic fashion, a negative connotation is
often brought forth. Historian David Clay
Large claims that appeasement“suggests a
craven submissiveness in the face of
political bullying.” However, during the
interwar years, appeasement was viewed as
a reliable and respectable form of
diplomacy. Appeasement could and was
used successfully in preventing wars.

3. The Beginning of the Sudeten Crisis
In 1938, the world became
focused on the latest
developments of
continental Europe. Hitler
was claiming that
Sudetenland, an ethnically
German part of
Czechoslovakia, belonged
to the Reich. The Czech
government thought
otherwise. In hopes of
resolving the Sudeten
crisis, world leaders
converged in Munich to
broker out a peace. The
diplomatic strategies used
at the Munich Conference
had its roots in the First
World War.

4. 1.Viewed as the “war to end all wars,” the great nations
vowed never to bring such carnage to the world again.
Leaders now had new respect for the power of
weaponry and the dangers of entangling alliances.
2.Air power had developed substantially since the Great
War. Civilian cities grew weary of the potential
dangers brought forth by terror-bombing techniques.
The bombing of Guernica during the Spanish civil war
justified their fears.
3.The First World War proved that modern warfare not
only brings forth physical destruction, but potentially
economic destruction as well. Some countries fell into
such a tremendous debt that it led to political unrest.

5. Internal Issues Trump Foreign Ones
4. Countries were not prepared for war.
–Great Britain
•In 1919, the British government created the “Ten Year
Rule” which told military planners to create their estimates
based “on the assumption that the British Empire would not
be engaged in any great war during the next ten years.”
The total budget for defense spending fell from 29.9% in
1913 to 10.5% in 1933.
–France
•France lost more than 1.5 million men in the Great War and
the destruction in its northern provinces was some of the
worst in Europe. France attempted to rearm quickly but
debt from the First World War still consumed half of the
nation’s budget.

6. Fearing Those
Soviets
5. Some Europeans felt that the only
nation that would benefit from
another war would be the Soviets.
Because of the west’s fear of
communism, there were some
politicians calling for the
immediate revival of Germany
after the war. In British politics,
some conservatives still believed
that it was the “Teutonic nations”
(England and Germany)
responsibility to protect Europe
from the “barbaric Slavs.” British
economist John Maynard Keynes
argued in his Economic
Consequences of the Peacethat
a strong Germany was vital to the
strength of Europe, including
Britain.

7. The German Sudetenland
With the feeling of self-determination still strong in
the hearts of European diplomats, the treatment of
the Sudeten region after the First World War brought
forth a feeling of guilt. By making the Sudeten region
part of Czechoslovakia, the basic principle of self-
determination was violated. The Sudeten region was
made part of Czechoslovakia because:
1.The Allies wanted to ensure a strong Czech economy.
The Sudeten region was heavily industrialized.
1.The Czech border would be more secure by placing its
border with Germany outside the mountain chain that
surrounds Bohemia.

8. A Heterogeneous Problem
The creation of Czechoslovakia had many leaders worried. Just like the
Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia suffered because of its
heterogeneous makeup. The nation had 3.5 million Germans living in it,
along with nearly 2 million Ruthenians (Ukrainian) and Hungarians. Only 7
million identified themselves as Czechs.

9. Wanting to Complete the Anschluss
•However, it was the Germans that posed the
greatest threat to the Czech government. Since the
fall of the Hapsburg Empire, many of the Sudeten
Germans wanted to join Austria in hopes of the
eventual completion of the Anschluss. When this
was denied and the Sudeten region was brought
into Czechoslovakia, a push for sovereignty began
to rise.

11. Benes Reaches
Out to the
Germans
•Czech President Edvard
Benes attempted to reach
out to the Germans by
openly endorsing the idea
of bringing the Weimar
into the League of
Nations. While this
placated some Germans,
it did very little to change
the feelings of the future
German fuhrer, Adolf
Hitler.

12. Hitler’s Dislike for
the Czechs
•Hitler’s hatred for the Czechs
stems back to his youth when he
was living as a vagabond in
Vienna. He blamed them for many
of his financial troubles. After
coming to power in 1933, Hitler’s
dislike for the Czech government
began to increase because:
1.Prague officials were sheltering
hundreds of German anti-Nazis
who fled the Third Reich.
2.Czechoslovakia’s alliance with
France and the Soviet Union
was geared at watching over
the growth of Germany.
3.Czechoslovakia was a
geographical obstacle for
expanding German living space
(lebensraum) to the east.

13. Hitler’s Diplomatic Strategy
Hitler was convinced that even though France
had an alliance with Czechoslovakia, they
were not full committed to it. France would
only come to the defense of the Czechs if
they had the fully backing of Great Britain.
The British were militarily in no position to
challenge Hitler. Thus, Hitler believed that
the annexation of Czechoslovakia should be a
relatively easy diplomatic move.

14. Intentionally
Increasing
Tensions
•However, to weaken the
Czech government,
Hitler wanted to increase
tensions between the
Sudeten Germans and
the Prague government.
He then could argue in
the international forum
that the Sudeten
Germans were living
under “intolerable
conditions” and had to
return “home to the
Reich.”

15. The Unemployed Germans
in the Sudetenland
As unemployment levels increased in the
Sudeten region, Germans demanded
assistance from the Czech government.
Because Hitler was creating public work
programs in Germany to help out his
nation (and the Czech government did
not endorse such programs), the
Sudeten Germans felt that the Czech
government was ignoring their appeal.

16. The Nazis Gain Strength in Numbers
To weaken the political power and organization of the Sudeten Germans, the
Prague government decided to ban the Nazi Party. This failed because the Nazi
members quickly joined a new political party, the Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront
(Sudeten German Home Front). The newly formed SDH was led by Konrad
Henlein. In 1935, with an increase in membership and votes, the party’s name
changed to the Sudetendeutsche Partei (Sudeten German Party). With 65% of the
votes in favor of the SDP in the German sections of Czechoslovakia, the SDP
became the largest single party in the country.

17. Henlein Becomes
a Big Headache
•By 1936 Henlein, a loyal
supporter of Hitler who believed
that Germans were racially
superior to the Czechs, began to
push for the idea of incorporating
the Sudetenland into the Third
Reich. By the late 1930s,
Henlein was putting demands on
the Czech government to liberate
the Sudeten region. The Czech
officials knew that Henlein was
taking orders from Hitler, but they
had to listen to him because the
SDP had absorbed all other
parties in the Sudeten region
(except the Social Democrats).

18. Czechoslovakia’s Savior…
Neville Chamberlain?
The only country that could slow
down Hitler and assist the Czechs
was Great Britain. France would
not act against Germany without
British support and the Soviet
Union would not pressure the
Germans without France’s
backing. Newly appointed British
Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain was responsible for
handling Germany. To Hitler’s
liking, Chamberlain felt that
Germany had been treated too
harshly at the Paris Peace
Conference after World War One.

19. Diplomacy Is the Proper Approach
Chamberlain wanted the Czech government to
negotiate with their German population in the
Sudeten region. In this negotiation process, the
German Reich should have a say. After
Czechoslovakia agreed to the terms to hand over
the Sudeten Region to Hitler, then the Czech
borders would be made secure by an Anglo-
German guarantee. Whatever measures are
needed to maintain European peace must be
taken. Chamberlain was afraid that if another war
broke out, many countries that did not even have a
stake in Czechoslovakia or Germany would be
pulled into a lengthy conflict.

20. The May Crisis
After giving into many
concessions to the Sudeten
Germans and never satisfying
them, the Prague government
authorized the mobilization of
its military. This was in
response to rumors of
German troop movement
along the border. Known as
the May Crisis, Hitler was
furious over the Czech
government’s defiance over
Germany. The German
troops were never mobilized.
Rather, the Czech’s wanted to
see how their alliances would
react.

21. A Meeting is Organized
In mid-September, Chamberlain sent a letter to
Hitler proposing a meeting between the two to
create a peaceful solution to the Sudeten problem.
Hitler decided to have the meeting at his mountain
retreat near Berchtesgaden (near the Austria
border). Before leaving for Germany, Chamberlain
met with his cabinet to discuss the itinerary. The
cabinet warned Chamberlain against any specific
commitments and to make no agreements on the
transfer of Czech lands.

22. The Eagle’s Nest

24. Hitler Beginnings to
Push Chamberlain
Around
•Upon meeting
Chamberlain, Hitler
informed the Prime
Minister of the following:
1.Germany would
integrate the 3.5 million
Germans living in
Czechoslovakia into the
Third Reich “at all
costs.”
2.Hitler could not speak
on behalf of the Polish,
Hungarian, and
Ukrainian minorities
living in
Czechoslovakia.

25. Chamberlain Comes Home a Hero
After meeting with Hitler,
Chamberlain understood the need
for incorporating the German
speaking territories of
Czechoslovakia into Germany.
He agreed that this must be
fulfilled and that the transfer of
specific territories could be
worked out at a second meeting.
By telling Hitler this, Chamberlain
violated his promise to his cabinet
that he would not make any
concessions to Hitler.
Nevertheless, Chamberlain was
viewed as a national hero.

26. The Czechs Are Left On Their Own
On September 19th, Britain and
France sent a note to Prague
demanding that they turn all
German speaking lands over to
Germany. If they refused to this
agreement, the Czechs would be
left to defend themselves. The
Czechs had no choice but to
agree to turn the Sudetenland
over.

27. A Surprised But Not Happy Hitler
•On September 22nd, Chamberlain flew
back to Germany to tell Hitler that
Czechoslovakia had agreed to turn the
Sudetenland over to the Third Reich.
Upon hearing this news, Hitler was
shocked and furious.
1.Hitler was shocked by the lack of
commitment by the West in
protecting Czechoslovakia. He
expected France and Great Britain to
put up more of a resistance to his
demands.
2.Hitler was furious because he
wanted to send the German
Wehrmacht (armed forces) into
Czechoslovakia to demonstrate to
the rest of Europe their military
strength.

28. Hitler Demands More and More
Hitler’s response to Chamberlain was, “I’m sorry, but
this will no longer suffice.” He returned later that
evening with a new list of demands. They were:
1.The withdrawal of all Czech forces from specific border areas.
2.The areas that were demilitarized by the Czechs must be
handed over to Germany by October 1st in its present
condition. Meaning that, no military or economic facilities could
be destroyed.
3.All areas that were turned over to Germany must come with the
present food stock, livestock, and farming equipment.

29. The Sentiment Changes In England
After hearing these demands,
Chamberlain returned to England
with the idea that his nation must
begin to plan and organize for war.
Immediately, Britain went into a war
preparation stages. These were:
1.In London, the military began to
distribute gas masks to the
civilians. In addition, trenches
were dug in local parks.
2.Antiaircraft guns were mounted
along the Victoria Embankment.
3.Hospitals began to increase their
staffing and supplies for the
expected heavy casualty
numbers.
4.The British Parliament decided to
mobilize the navy.

30. The Alliances
Are Tested
•With the ongoing war
preparation efforts in Britain,
French Prime Minister
Edouard Daladier needed to
find out how strong of a bond
existed between his nation
and the British. Daladier told
the British that if Germany
attacked Czechoslovakia,
France would come to her
defense. Chamberlain
informed Daladier that
Britain would support France
in their efforts.

31. France Prepares for War
•Upon hearing this, Daladier began to make
war preparations of his own. In France,
1.Authorities began to distribute sandbags to be
spread around the buildings. The sandbags would
be used to put out or contain any fires that might
ignite as a result of German incendiary bombs.
2.Depositors began to withdraw all of their gold from
the French banks.
3.The government partially mobilized their military
and sent the troops to the Maginot Line.

33. The Czechs Prepare for War
Watching the
actions of Britain
and France, the
Czech government
ordered a general
mobilization of its
forces and began to
fortify its borders.

34. Hitler Wants to Flex His Muscles
Hitler wanted the Sudeten problem resolved immediately. While he
wanted to showcase German military strength, Hitler still did not want a
full scale European war because:
1.Hitler realized that his Wehrmacht was still not ready to fight a formidable
force. His military lacked sufficient armor, heavy artillery, ammunition, and
trained reserves.
2.German officials were concerned about the dangers of Soviet intervention.
If the Soviets felt threatened enough, they might side with the Western
nations and create a two-front enemy for Germany.
3.Hitler was not sure if the German population was as war hungry as the Nazi
Party. He needed more time to increase the populace’s enthusiasm for
war.
4.The British mobilization of their fleet convinced Hitler that a war with
Czechoslovakia would not be a limited war. He did not want to repeat the
same German military mistakes that were made in World War One.

35. Chamberlain’s Last Ditch Effort
•In an attempt to resolve the Sudeten Crisis, Chamberlain
wrote two letters that he hoped would maintain peace in
Europe. The first letter was sent to Hitler inviting him to
sit down with British, French, Italian, and Czech
representatives to resolve the crisis. The second letter
was sent to Benito Mussolini, asking the Il Duce to
support the idea of a peaceful resolution and to present
this idea to Hitler. Mussolini agreed and had his Berlin
ambassador speak to the Reich authorities. Hitler then
agreed to meet in Munich, Germany, in an attempt to
come to a peaceful resolution.

36. The Munich Conference
On September 29th, Chamberlain made his third trip to Germany in less
than two weeks. Daladier flew in from France and Mussolini came in via
train. Hitler refused to allow the Czech to be represented or have a say at
this meeting.

37. A Deal is Reached
The agreement reached at the conference
stated that Germany could annex the
Sudetenland on October 10th. If
Czechoslovakia refused to allow German
forces into the region, they would be forced
to defend themselves. Also, Germany
would maintain de facto control over the
rest of Czechoslovakia as long as they did
not expand their military presence outside
of the Sudeten region.

38. Chamberlain…
Our Hero Again!
•At the completion of the
Munich Conference,
Chamberlain
approached Hitler with
the idea of signing an
Anglo-German
agreement that would
maintain peace between
the two countries. Hitler
immediately signed off
on this peace
agreement.
•All of the diplomats that
attended the Munich
Conference returned to
their homes as saviors.
When Chamberlain
arrived back in London,
he proclaimed that he
had brought “peace for
our time.”

39. The Germans
Takeover
•In mid-March 1939,
German troops began to
march into Prague.
Hitler established a
protectorate over
Bohemia and Moravia.
Slovakia became an
independent state under
German control.
Immediately, Jews,
socialists, democrats,
and anti-Nazis were
targeted and attacked.

41. Peace for Now…
Just eleven months after the Munich
Conference, Hitler invaded Poland and
World War II began.