Hitler's Takeover of Sudetenland 1938
The Sudeten Crisis of 1938 was a pivotal moment in the lead-up to World War II, showcasing Hitler's takeover of Sudetenland and the failure of appeasement policy consequences Chamberlain pursued. Hitler targeted Czechoslovakia for several strategic reasons, including its creation by the Treaty of Versailles, its strong military and industrial capabilities, and the presence of a German-speaking population in the Sudetenland.
Highlight: The Skoda factory in the Sudetenland could be repurposed to produce tanks and war machinery, making it a valuable asset for Germany's rearmament program.
Hitler claimed to be uniting the Volksdeutsche and protecting them from alleged persecution by Czechs. This rhetoric served as a pretext for his territorial ambitions, which aimed at eventually taking over all of Czechoslovakia.
Vocabulary: Volksdeutsche refers to ethnic Germans living outside of Germany's borders.
The crisis unfolded through a series of meetings between Hitler and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. On September 15, 1938, Chamberlain flew to Berchtesgaden to meet Hitler, who demanded control of the Sudetenland. Chamberlain, adhering to his appeasement policy, agreed to Hitler's terms on the condition of peaceful action.
Quote: Chamberlain, upon returning to Britain, famously declared he had achieved "Peace in our time."
