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history > Appeasement And The Road To War #14: The Czech Crisis > Flashcards

Appeasement And The Road To War #14: The Czech Crisis Flashcards

1
Q

What factors shaped Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A
  • Versailles
  • Sudetenland / Gross-Deutschland
  • Austria
  • Lebensraum
  • Czechoslovakia economically
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2
Q

How did Lebensraum shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A

With control of Czechoslovakia, Hitler would be able to expand into the east and achieve Lebensraum

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3
Q

How did Austria shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A
  • Hossbach Memorandum planned for Austria AND Czechoslovakia (+ Poland)
  • Success of the Anschluss gave Hitler confidence
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4
Q

How did Czechoslovakia’s economic position shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A
  • Biggest industrial employer in Europe
  • 7th Largest Arms manufacturer in the world (SKODA)
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5
Q

How did Sudetendland/ Gross Deutschland shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A

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
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6
Q

How did Versailles shape Hitler’s attitude towards Czechoslovakia?

A
  • 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”
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7
Q

Why was Czechoslovakia considered one of the success stories of the 1919 peace settlements?

A
  • 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
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8
Q

In what ways did Hitler take a similar approach in Czechoslovakia as he did in Austria?

A

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)

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9
Q

Why did the Sudeten Germans keep complaining they were persecuted?

A

Because this would make them look oppressed and so Germany look good for rescuing a “persecuted” state

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10
Q

What policy did Chamberlain follow before May 1938?

A

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.

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11
Q

Why did the Czech Army partially mobilise on 20-21 May 1938?

A

They assumed that German troop movements and frontier areas was in anticipation to attack them. They were wrong.

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12
Q

Why did Hitler feel humiliated after the Czech troop movements?

A

It looked like he had been made to back down by France and Britain

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13
Q

What 2 conclusions did France and Britain draw after Germany backed down 20-21 May 1938?

A
  1. Their firmness had “saved the day” and they could force an agreement between Hitler and Czechoslovakia.
  2. 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.
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14
Q

What was Lord Runciman’s view of the Sudeten Problem?

A

He tended to sympathise with the grievances of the Sudeten Germans

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15
Q

When was Lord Runciman sent to mediate the Sudeten problem?

A

July by Chamberlain

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16
Q

What was Lord Runciman supposed to do?

A
  • 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
17
Q

How did Hitler keep the tension up in July and August 1938?

A

July - he organised large scale military exercises in Germany
August - he partially mobilised their armed forces

18
Q

Why did President Benes agree to the demands of the Sudeten Germans?

A

To remove any excuse they could have for war by keeping them happy

19
Q

Who was the leader of the SDP?

A

Konrad Henlein

20
Q

When did Henlein issue the Karlsbad Programme? What was this?

A

A set of demands for virtual autonomy of Sudetenland from the Czechoslovakian state

21
Q

What did Hitler tell his senior generals on 28th May 1938?

A

He wanted Czechoslovakia to be wiped off the map by the 1st of October 1938

22
Q

Why did this Sudeten Germans break off negotiations with Benes after he accepted their demands?

A

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

23
Q

Why was Hitler speech on 12 Sept at a Nuremberg rally impactful?

A
  1. He ranted about the oppressed Sudeten Germans and demanded justice for them
  2. This led to riots in the Sudetenland
  3. This led to the Czech authorities imposing martial law
24
Q

What is martial law?

A

The suspension of ordinary law and imposition of military government (for example: curfews)

25
Q

What was Chamberlain’s plan he announced on the 12 September 1938?

A

To fly to Germany, and speak to Hitler himself

26
Q

Who was Lord Halifax?

A

The foreign secretary who dealt with things like foreign policy

27
Q

Why was Chamberlain’s plan “so unconventional it took Halifax’s breath away”?

A
  • Halifax would be shocked at the idea that Chamberlain believed he was able to stop war himself, - - He did this without even the help of Halifax himself, the foreign secretary
28
Q

When were the 3 Meetings?

A
  1. 15 September 1938 (Berchtesgaden)
  2. 22 September 1938 (Godesberg)
  3. 29 September 1938 (Munich)
29
Q

Summary of Meeting 1 (15th Sept)

A
  • Chamberlain announced he was prepared to break up Czechoslovakia without actually asking the Czechs
  • Chamberlain agreed to any Sudeten areas with over 50% German population were to be given to Germany
  • Hitler agreed, this wasn’t really what he wanted, (he wanted to destroy Czechoslovakia) but he wasn’t ready for war with a very strong Czechoslovakian military
  • After a week of hard discussion, Chamberlain convinced the French government to support him and, with some intense bullying, the Czechoslovakian government was forced to agree
  • Czechoslovakian were forced to agree as the Brits framed it as them intervening to prevent war. In other words, if Czechoslovakia denied the terms and Germany went to war, Britain would claim they played their part and would stay out of it from then on.
30
Q

Summary of Meeting 2 (22 Sept) + events of 24 Sept

A
  • This meeting was at Goldberg (on the Rhine), which was closer to Britain and so it was seen as a favour from Hitler
  • Now Hitler rejected the previous concessions, and demanded all of the Sudetenland
  • Hitler said that this was his last demand and he would stop trying to take land in Europe after that
  • Chamberlain now saw that Hitler was a man looking for a fight over Czechoslovakia
  • Hitler had intended to be excessive with his demands so that when they were turned down, he could declare war
  • On the 24th of September, Chamberlain flew back to London, and on the following day asked the cabinet to accept the proposals. The cabinet collectively overrode him, refusing to agree, and decided enough was enough and they would rather risk war than put pressure on Czechoslovakia to accept these terms.
31
Q

What did the British, Czechs, and French do in fear of war after the first 2 meetings?

A

Czechs: mobilised their army
French: called up military reservists
British: mobilised their fleet and warned anti-aircraft batteries used to be in a state of readiness

32
Q

What was Chamberlain’s view he made clear on a wireless speech to the British public on 27th Sept?

A

He believed that it was unfair Britain was preparing for war because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom they knew nothing

33
Q

Why did Hitler change his plans regarding Czechoslovakia after the first 2 meetings?

A
  • He hadn’t received the expected enthusiastic welcome from the German population for his plans to occupy Czechoslovakia
  • The British and French seemed to be backing up the Czech. The French had started a very efficient mobilisation. Hitler intuition told him that they would, in the end, back down, but just maybe they wouldn’t.
  • By midday of 28th September, Hitler was filled with growing doubt about turning this into a full scale war. Just then, a message arrived from Mussolini, who urged the same caution. Mussolini suggested that he would chair a four power conference to see if an agreement could be made. Hitler therefore agreed to go. The conference would be held the next in Munich.
34
Q

Who weren’t invited to Munich?

A

Czechoslovakia, Russia

35
Q

What were the terms of the Munich agreement?

A

All 4 agreed on the terms or Godesberg

36
Q

How long were Czechoslovakia given to accept and implement the terms at Munich?

A

12 hours to accept, 10 days to enforce

37
Q

What else did Chamberlain gain at Munich?

A

He made Hitler sign a statement that guaranteed “peace in our time”, they tried to make Europe peaceful

38
Q

What did Hitler gain at Munich?

A
  • 30% of population, territory
  • 50% of its industry (including Skoda’s arms works)
  • Czechoslovakia’s national defence line
  • Slovakia was so poor that they had to become a German protectorate
  • He could attack Poland from different directions, Air Force only 25mins from Polish Industrial Centres
39
Q

What did the Western democracies learn at Munich?

A

That Hitler could no be trusted, for business or otherwise

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