sep 29, 1938 - Munich Conference
Description:
Western Europe after the Great Depression faced a period of instability and crisis. The great powers had no energy or resources to spare on containing the rise of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. They simply did not have the military strength to counter them. Thus, Britain and France resorted to appeasing Hitler by satisfying his territorial demands, hoping he would stop when he became satisfied with his gains. The Munich Conference marked the epitome of appeasement, as the British and French sacrificed the territorial integrity of Czechoslovakia to accede to Hitler's demands for a greater German state. Although the British Prime Minister returned from Munich claiming he had achieved "peace of our time," the reality was appeasement never stopped Hitler's ambitions. Instead, emboldened by Allied reluctance, he expanded German territory unchecked, and the Allies only realized Hitler could not be stopped when he invaded Poland. Appeasement also put both the British and French into a false sense of security, causing them to fall behind on rearmament and eventually lose horribly to Germany in the Battle of France.
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