Munich Agreement. The notorious deal with Hitler (in which Britain, France and Italy agreed that Nazi Germany could take over the majority German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia) had been the work of a Conservative-dominated administration and had been opposed by the Labour opposition – so such research would certainly, in 1968, not have displeased the then Labour government of Harold Wilson.
On 7 June 1938, Hitler issued his secret order to invade Czechoslovakia by the end of September. Publicly, Hitler had made it clear that he wanted Czechoslovakia to allow its German-majority districts (known in German as the Sudetenland) to be transferred to German sovereignty.
On 20 July, France secretly told the Czechoslovak government that (despite a Franco-Czech treaty) it would not help Czechoslovakia if Germany invaded.
On 3 August, a British delegation arrived in Czechoslovakia to put pressure on the Czech government to reach agreement with Germany.
The next day, German anti-Nazi generals started plotting to overthrow Hitler – and subsequently sent agents to put a secret plan to the UK government which the UK, equally secretly, rejected. Later that month, Germany sent 750,000 troops to the Czechoslovak border.
On 15 September, Chamberlain flew to Germany to meet Hitler. The following day the French prime minister flew to London. On 17 September, Germany started unofficial military activities inside Czechoslovakia.
On 18 September, Italy backed Germany over the Czechoslovakia crisis.
On 22 September, Chamberlain flew again to Germany. Hitler indicated that he now not only wanted the Sudetenland, but also wished to see the dissolution of Czechoslovakia as a country.
The next day, Czechoslovakia fully mobilised its army.
On 28 September, Britain asked Italy to join the negotiations with Adolf Hitler.
The following day, the French and British prime ministers met Adolf Hitler and Mussolini in Munich and agreed that Germany could take over the Sudetenland
On 30 September, Czechoslovakia reluctantly agreed (despite the fact that it meant losing most of its industrial areas and virtually all its major defensive installations). On the same day, at Chamberlain’s request, Adolf Hitler agreed to sign a peace treaty with Britain. Chamberlain then flew back to London – and famously announced that he had secured “peace for our time”.
As soon as Hitler’s victory in the crisis became known, the Soviets felt betrayed by France (they both had a defence treaty with Czechoslovakia). The West’s betrayal of the Czechs persuaded Stalin not to trust the West if it came to any showdown between the USSR and Germany. This was a factor which led to Stalin wanting to develop his own rapprochement with Germany (which eventually led to their infamous pact and the partition of Poland the following year).
Then in early October, Germany took over the Sudetenland. The next month, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede territory to Hungary. Poland then also seized part of Czechoslovakia.
In March 1939 Germany invaded the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia and took them over.
Just six months later, emboldened by Britain and France’s failure to stand up to him over Czechoslovakia, Hitler (now in alliance with the Soviets) invaded Poland – and the Second World War began.
— source independent.co.uk | Oct, 2018