The Munich conspiracy of 1938 - betrayal or error? History

In the autumn, high guests gathered at the residence of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. The result of not very long negotiations was the so-called Munich conspiracy (1938). Betrayal or error - what was it? Until now, historians of different countries are arguing on this topic, and since the political interests of representatives of state science are different, each of them insists on its own. It is more advantageous for Western scholars to present this agreement by some oversight of Daladier and Chamberlain. Well, trusting they were above any measure, and the insidious Hitler deceived them. And what really happened? What is this Munich arrangement of 1938? Betrayal or error? Or just a crime?

Western version of the beginning of World War II

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, or rather, in the last years of its existence, the world's military-historical literature first appeared about the mysterious events that preceded the attack of Hitler. Moreover, against the background of the demands to declassify the full text of the non-aggression pact signed by Molotov and Ribbentrop in August 1939, the purpose of these publications was clear enough to distinguish between Nazi Germany and the Stalinist USSR for unleashing the Second World War. Soon the emphasis was mixed even further. The main ringleader was almost openly declared the Soviet Union, and Hitler was assigned the role, rather, of an innocent victim. As for other countries participating in the war, it seems that everything was clear with them in this regard. France from the victims, surprisingly signing the capitulation of Keitel, fell into the winners. Britain, like America that joined it in 1944, waged a righteous war for freedom and democracy. Poland innocently fell under the onslaught of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht, who struck from both sides.

Here is an interpretation of events, counting which is conducted from the date of August 23, 1939. Why from it? Because, if it is prudent to omit the previous agreements, the version looks slim, logical and unambiguous. This is Stalin's fault. Well, of course, Hitler. So, very little. And the whole hypothesis begins to crack at the seams, if we recall the events that happened the year before, namely, the Munich conspiracy of 1938. Betrayal or error was, in this case, unimportant. Only facts have value.

initial situation

And the facts were as follows: in the Sudetenland, which was part of Czechoslovakia, Germans lived - three and a half million people. Besides them, there were still over ten million Czechs, and a powerful fortified line of defense facing Germany. As for Czechoslovakia, this country had a developed industry, in particular, an arms industry, and was considered in many respects not the last in Europe, including the might of the armed forces. And in such not very favorable conditions Hitler decided to assign the Sudetenland with everything that was in it. And then he planned to capture the rest of the territory of Czechoslovakia, although he did not tell anyone about this when he signed the Munich agreement of 1938. He, in fact, no one asked about it. So he did it.

The alignment of forces

The German Chancellor used a reception called a bluff in the medium of card players. He bluntly stated that he was ready to use military force if the Sudeten was not given him peacefully and voluntarily. In fact, such a possibility did not exist in fascist Germany. At that time, the German mobilization potential was 37 divisions against 36 Czech, but the western border of the Reich in this case remained unprotected. It should be borne in mind that, for a successful offensive, all military canons, attackers require at least a threefold superiority. And the Sudeten fortifications were a serious obstacle. Did Neville Chamberlain know about this? Or British intelligence (which the British themselves are very fond of extolling) for nothing ate their bread?

In addition to the approximate numerical parity, Czechoslovakia in the autumn of 1938 had an advantage in armament. The country was a leader in exporting defense products, and tanks (later captured by the Germans) accounted for a significant percentage of Germany's tank forces in June 1941.

Participants in negotiations

The states that signed the Munich agreement managed to reach a compromise. From Germany - Adolf Hitler, from Italy - Benito Mussolini. This is on the one hand. Today, everyone knows that in the late thirties in these countries were fascist regimes. Then, in 1938, this, too, was not a secret. And on the other, representing democratic forces? Neville Chamberlain came from London, and Edward Daladier from Paris. All! Nobody called the representatives of the USSR, but there is nothing surprising in this. Strangely, the Czechoslovak president Edward Benes also was not invited. Indeed, what does he have to do with it?

Position of Poland

Undoubtedly, World War II is the most tragic page of Polish history. However, a year before its fall under the onslaught of the Wehrmacht, this country lived not in the care of strengthening its own borders - it even managed to expand them! Immediately after the occupation of Sudet by the Germans, the Poles advanced an ultimatum to Prague, the meaning of which in general terms repeated the Munich agreement. In short, it can be formulated as a requirement to release Teshinskaya oblast. They did not wait for an answer and introduced troops to the area in which of the two hundred thousand inhabitants eighty were ethnic Poles. Later, Churchill would call these actions "the greed of a hyena."

Against whom "pacified" Hitler

The essence of the Munich agreement is simple: Britain and France obliged Czechoslovakia to make territorial concessions for the sake of pacification of Hitler. Chamberlain, flying to London, shook the signed document and promised a long peace. As far as he was sincere, humanity will never be reliably known, but assumptions about this are possible. The fact is that the general vector of the movement of militaristic encroachments of Germany was directed to the East, and this generally suited Western politicians. To hope that, feeling the smell of profit, the Nazi leader will calm down, it would be too naive, even for Chamberlain and Daladier. Polish antics did not confuse the French president and the British prime minister, and Hitler did not attach any importance to them, knowing that he would still get not only Teshinskaya region. As for Benito Mussolini, he came to Munich just to "support a friend."

results

Germany has achieved its goal. The Germans received high-tech production along with equipment and specialists, a raw material base, a practically open border, devoid of expensive fortifications, and a large number of finished defense products - from rifles (one million pieces) to tanks, not the most modern ones, of course, but we also had not better.

In Poland, patriotic sentiments reigned. The industrial potential of the country (mainly metallurgical) has increased by almost one and a half times, and this was achieved without any losses.

Czechoslovakia has lost a lot. And now it is not entirely clear why Benes behaved so obediently and did not give the order to defend himself. But it was to whom, it was and what. Hitler personally appreciated the Sudeten fortifications, acknowledging that their assault would be an adventure. Field Marshal Keitel at the trial in Nuremberg claimed that the Wehrmacht could hardly defeat the Czechoslovak army in 1938 under the current situation. And if the third countries (France, Britain, USSR) interfered in the matter, the war would end very quickly with the defeat of Germany. But all this did not happen ...

The meaning of today's manipulations

So what was the Munich conspiracy of 1938? "Betrayal or mistake?" - this issue would not be so important now, after almost seven decades, if not for some legal aspects. After the war, international treaties were concluded, regulating the principles of the European and global system. While the Soviet Union existed, it never occurred to anyone to revise the results of conferences in Yalta and Potsdam, but after 1991 a strange legal conflict arose. One of the parties to the agreements dropped out, its place was taken by independent Russia, and it was not possible to resist the temptation to make any claims to it, apparently, to our "Western friends". That's when they remembered about the secret applications, 1939 and other deceits of Joseph Stalin. But about Munich in 1938 they forgot. Probably, by absent-mindedness ...