September 30, 1938General source · 2 sourcesWell documented
The Munich Agreement
On the timeline · around September 30, 1938 ·
What happened
Germany, Italy, Britain, and France signed the Munich Agreement, forcing Czechoslovakia — which was not party to the talks — to cede its German-speaking Sudetenland border region to Nazi Germany. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Édouard Daladier accepted Hitler's demands in the belief they had preserved peace.
Why it matters
Munich became the defining symbol of 'appeasement.' Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, and within a year Europe was at war.
Sources
- Holocaust Encyclopedia, USHMM. Munich Agreement · General source
- The National WWII Museum. Appeasement and 'Peace for Our Time' · General source