Sudetenland
The Sudetenland was a predominantly German-speaking region along Czechoslovakia’s borders, annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 under the Munich Agreement.
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye: The 1919 peace treaty that established Austria’s postwar borders and recognized the new Czechoslovak state. It helped establish Czechoslovakia, placing German-speaking border communities inside the new state.
Munich Agreement: The September 1938 agreement by Germany, Italy, Britain, and France that required Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. It provided the diplomatic terms for the annexation.
Adolf Hitler: The dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, responsible for launching the Second World War and the Holocaust. He made the Sudetenland a pretext for threatening Czechoslovakia and expanding German territory.
Occupation of Czechoslovakia: Nazi Germany’s occupation of the Czech lands in March 1939, after the destruction of Czechoslovakia as an independent state. The annexation preceded the occupation that completed Hitler’s takeover of the Czech lands.
Appeasement: A policy of making concessions to an aggressive power in an effort to avoid conflict or preserve peace. The Munich cession became the best-known example used to debate this policy.
Czechoslovakia: A Central European state formed in 1918 and dissolved in 1992, with Czech, Slovak, German, and other populations. The Sudetenland was a border region within this multiethnic state.
Sudeten German Party: A political party led by Konrad Henlein that mobilized Sudeten German voters and pressed for autonomy before 1938. Its demands and escalating confrontation helped intensify the crisis.
Neville Chamberlain: British prime minister from 1937 to 1940, associated with the policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany. He negotiated at Munich and accepted the cession without Czechoslovak participation.
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: A Nazi-controlled territory established in the Czech lands in March 1939 after Germany occupied them. It replaced the remaining Czech state after the Sudetenland had been annexed.
Policy of containment: A strategy of limiting an adversary’s expansion through political, economic, and military measures. It contrasts with the concessions Britain and France made over the Sudetenland.