Appeasement And The Road To War #14: The Czech Crisis Flashcards
(39 cards)
What factors shaped Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
- Versailles
- Sudetenland / Gross-Deutschland
- Austria
- Lebensraum
- Czechoslovakia economically
How did Lebensraum shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
With control of Czechoslovakia, Hitler would be able to expand into the east and achieve Lebensraum
How did Austria shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
- Hossbach Memorandum planned for Austria AND Czechoslovakia (+ Poland)
- Success of the Anschluss gave Hitler confidence
How did Czechoslovakia’s economic position shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
- Biggest industrial employer in Europe
- 7th Largest Arms manufacturer in the world (SKODA)
How did Sudetendland/ Gross Deutschland shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
Sudetendland = N,S,W areas of Czechoslovakia
- Old Austrian Empire had many different nationalities including over 3million German speaking Sudetendlanders - they never belonged to Germany
- They weren’t placed in the Germany as that would reward her after losing the war
- They were placed in Czechoslovakia
- This angered Hitler and he wanted them back;
- This would fulfil Gross-Deutschland by uniting all German speakers in one country
How did Versailles shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?
- Versailles only dealt with Germany, the Treaty of St. Germain dealt with the Old Austrian Empire
- Czechoslovakia was made in the Treaty of St Germain, Hitler lumped it in with Versailles
- This was a bad connection as the ToV was seen as a huge embarrassment
- Czechoslovakia was one of the biggest European ToV creations that impacted Germany (other than Poland)
- Hitler called Czechoslovakia “bastard child of Versailles”
Why was Czechoslovakia considered one of the success stories of the 1919 peace settlements?
- Effective army of 34 divisions
- 7th largest arms manufacturer in the world
- 6th largest industrial employer in the world
- Strong military alliances with France and Russia
In what ways did Hitler take a similar approach in Czechoslovakia as he did in Austria?
Just as he had control of the Austrian Nazi Party in Austria, he had a strong and active Czech Nazi Party: Sudeten German Party (SDP)
Why did the Sudeten Germans keep complaining they were persecuted?
Because this would make them look oppressed and so Germany look good for rescuing a “persecuted” state
What policy did Chamberlain follow before May 1938?
He convinced the checks that Britain wouldn’t intervene whilst also convincing the Germans that they would. He did this in hope to drive both sides to the negotiating table and avoid an unnecessary war.
Why did the Czech Army partially mobilise on 20-21 May 1938?
They assumed that German troop movements and frontier areas was in anticipation to attack them. They were wrong.
Why did Hitler feel humiliated after the Czech troop movements?
It looked like he had been made to back down by France and Britain
What 2 conclusions did France and Britain draw after Germany backed down 20-21 May 1938?
- Their firmness had “saved the day” and they could force an agreement between Hitler and Czechoslovakia.
- Brits were now sure that the Czechs were to blame and would have to make major concessions which would deter Hitler from any future war.
What was Lord Runciman’s view of the Sudeten Problem?
He tended to sympathise with the grievances of the Sudeten Germans
When was Lord Runciman sent to mediate the Sudeten problem?
July by Chamberlain
What was Lord Runciman supposed to do?
- Come up with a list of concessions that he could persuade the Czech president Benes to agree to
- It wouldn’t hurt if he was also able to delay things
How did Hitler keep the tension up in July and August 1938?
July - he organised large scale military exercises in Germany
August - he partially mobilised their armed forces
Why did President Benes agree (4th Sept) to the demands of the Sudeten Germans?
To remove any excuse they could have for war by keeping them happy
Who was the leader of the SDP?
Konrad Henlein
When did Henlein issue the Karlsbad Programme? What was this?
- 24 April 1938
- A set of demands for virtual autonomy of Sudetenland from the Czechoslovakian state
What did Hitler tell his senior generals on 28th May 1938?
He wanted Czechoslovakia to be wiped off the map by the 1st of October 1938
Why did this Sudeten Germans break off negotiations with Benes after he accepted their demands?
His proposals had fulfilled the freeing of Sudetenland - which wasn’t what they were actually after, that was merely the issue to be exploited by Germany in order to go tomorrow with Czechoslovakia – and Benes’ proposals removed this excuse
Why was Hitler speech on 12 Sept at a Nuremberg rally impactful?
- He ranted about the oppressed Sudeten Germans and demanded justice for them
- This led to riots in the Sudetenland
- This led to the Czech authorities imposing martial law
What is martial law?
The suspension of ordinary law and imposition of military government (for example: curfews)
