Munich avoided a general war in September 1938. Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war. How did Hitler's continuing ambitions, Germany's growing advantages and the risks he faced connect these events?
How do these explanations connect Hitler's ambitions to the outbreak of war in 1939?
Hitler continued to seek expansion
- Hossbach's record of a private 1937 meeting describes Hitler's ambitions for territory and willingness to use force.
- The occupation of the Czech lands in March 1939 went beyond uniting German-speaking areas.
- Germany attacked Poland on 1 September.
Hitler continued to seek territory even after Munich. His decision to invade Poland turned those aims into fighting; concessions had not ended his ambitions.
Knowing what Hitler wanted is not enough to explain why he was willing to take the risk in 1939. Other countries' responses and the Soviet agreement also affected his choices.
Concessions weakened resistance
- The Sudetenland transfer removed important Czechoslovak defences.
- Successive gains increased German resources and Hitler's confidence.
- In October 1938, Churchill argued that giving up Czech defences made further German pressure harder to resist.
Concessions could make another attack easier by giving Germany resources and weakening a country that might resist. Avoiding one war did not guarantee that the next threat would be less serious.
Britain also gained time to rearm and took a firmer position after March 1939. Concessions did not make Hitler's later invasion unavoidable, and we cannot be certain that a different earlier policy would have stopped him.
The Soviet agreement reduced an immediate risk
- The pact promised non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union.
- The secret protocol divided spheres of influence affecting Poland.
- Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, shortly after the pact was concluded.
If Hitler attacked Poland and faced Britain and France, Soviet opposition would add another danger. The non-aggression promise reduced that immediate risk and made the attack look less dangerous.
The dates alone do not explain the connection: the promise reduced a specific risk. The pact did not create Hitler's earlier ambitions or itself begin the fighting.