The Munich Agreement: Part II

Note: Read Part I

"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor, and you will have war." - Winston Churchill

The days leading up to the agreement passed in a blur of tension and frantic diplomacy. As late as September 23, the Czechoslovak government had mobilized its forces. Britain and France, deeply reluctant to risk war, pushed the Czechoslovak leadership to accept Hitler's demands and do so quickly, as the German leader was escalating pressure. On September 26, in a fiery speech, Hitler declared that he would take the Sudetenland by force if necessary. London and Paris grew tense. Air raid precautions began. Gas masks were issued. Then, Mussolini offered a diplomatic solution; a conference to decide Czechoslovakia's fate. It was set for the following day in Munich.

On September 30, Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, and Mussolini reached a deal: Germany would annex the Sudetenland beginning on October 1 and complete the occupation within ten days. The Czechoslovak government agreed under intense pressure from Britain and France. In return, Hitler pledged no further territorial demands in Europe.

For Chamberlain, the agreement was a triumph of diplomacy. Arriving in London, he stepped off the plane and triumphantly waved the signed document before the crowd, and then delivered a statement that would become infamous:

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time."

The phrase captured the relief many in Britain felt. War had been averted. The newspapers hailed Chamberlain as a statesman who had spared Europe another catastrophic conflict. One wrote, "Had the Government of the United Kingdom been in less resolute hands, it is as certain as it can be that war, incalculable in its range, would have broken out against the wishes of every people concerned." Another said that "only a man of fine-steel calibre and honesty could have plucked success from the smoking cauldrons."

In Germany, Hitler was also pleased, having secured the Sudetenland without firing a shot. But he relished a deeper satisfaction. "I saw my enemies at Munich, and they are worms," he scoffed to his generals. Hitler had tested Britain and France's resolve. And to him, they had failed.

Churchill observed the deal with a similar assessment. He believed that Hitler had no intention of stopping his conquests. To Churchill, the Munich Agreement was not a diplomatic success but a disastrous failure. It sacrificed Czechoslovakia for an illusion of peace while emboldening Hitler.