THE ROAD TO WAR 1939 - CZECHOSLOVAKIA

1. CONTENT
ROAD TO WAR
HITLER’S
SIXTH MOVE
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
11

2. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
EASTERN EUROPE UNDER SIEGE
Czechoslovakia began to fall apart.
She had no chance of defending herself.
The Sudetenland had been her only defendable border.
Poland and Hungary began to help themselves to parts of Czech
territory and in March 1939, the German army marched in and took
over the rest of Czechoslovakia.

3. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MRARtNRAQc

4. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
APPEASEMENT
Britain and France now changed their tactics and began to take a
stronger line with Germany.
Hitler now started to threaten Poland.
Britain and France began to speed up their rearmament programmes
and promised to defend Poland if she was attacked.
Does this mean that appeasement had been a mistake?
Historians have differed views over this.

5. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XuBqYApfIE

6. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF APPEASEMENT
• Britain had reduced her armed forces after the First World War and was
too weak to fight Germany. It was best to appease Germany until
Britain’s armed forces had been built up again. Chamberlain was doing
this. France was in the same position.
• Britain and France were afraid of communism spreading across Europe.
• They saw Hitler as a strong man who could stand up to the Soviet
Union and communism.
• Most people could still remember the terrible things that happened in
WW1. Many people would try anything to avoid another war.
• Some people felt that Germany had been unfairly treated and punished
in the Treaty of Versailles.

7. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE APPEASEMENT
• Appeasement made Hitler feel he could get away with anything. Every
time Britain and France failed to stand up to him he was encouraged to
make more demands.
• When the Russians saw Britain and France appeasing Germany they
were afraid that no one would come to their help if Germany invaded
them. This encouraged them to reach an agreement with Germany, the
Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939.
• Britain and France were fooled by Hitler. He did not mean it when he
promised that his latest conquest will be his last. By the time they
realised this it was almost too late.

8. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
REVISION POINTS
• After losing the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia began to descend in
anarchy. Slovakia began to demand independence.
• Hitler persuaded the Czech president to allow German troops in “to
restore order”.
• In May 1939, Germany signed the “Pact of Steel” with Italy. They
promised to support each other if the war was declared.
• Britain and France did nothing, but it was clear that the appeasement
policy had failed. Hitler had broken his promises and taken non-
German lands.
• Once the Nazis had taken the rest of Czechoslovakia, Britain
abandoned appeasement and made an agreement with Poland to
support it in case it was invaded.