Peace in Our Time - Part 1
Here are three famous quotes about history:
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes (attributed to Mark Twain)
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it (American philosopher George Santayana)
Repeats itself first as tragedy second as farce (attributed to Karl Marx)
These are often brought up in discussions about comparisons between the current war in Ukraine and the appeasement of Germany in 1938. How do these situations compare? In this part, we will look at Germany.
Sudetenland
Before World War I, central and eastern Europe consisted of three major empires: Russian Empire, German Empire, and Austro-Hungarian Empire. Each of these empires consisted of multiple ethnic groups. After entering World War I, President Wilson of the United States articulated ‘Fourteen Points’ defining his vision for stable, long-lasting peace in Europe. One of his principles was ‘self-determination.’ Consistent with these principles, the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I broke these empires into countries. The negotiators attempted to maintain ethnic homogeneity in creating new nations. Independent nations created included Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Austria, and Hungry. Ethnic Ukrainians ended up in Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
It was impossible to make each new country a single ethnic group as the people were intermixed. The population of the newly created Czechoslovakia was about 20% German. Most were located near the Sudeten mountains in western Czechoslovakia near the German border, hence the name Sudetenland.
In 1938, Hitler alleged that Czechoslovakia was mistreating the German minority. He believed they had the right to self-determination, as promised by President Wilson in his Fourteen Points. Hitler asserted that Czechoslovakia was not a real country, but an artificial creation. He said he promoted peace and had no other demands, but he threatened war over this matter.
Hitler’s Speeches
Hitler gave two speeches about this issue:
9/12/1938 address – these are direct quotes from his speeches (‘Volk’ refers to the German people)
“… major part of our Volk is placed at the mercy of impertinent abusers, ostensibly without any means of defending itself… I am speaking of Czecho-Slovakia”
“Amongst the suppressed minorities in this state, there are also three and a half million Germans. These Germans are God’s creatures as well. The Almighty has not created them so that the construction arrived at in Versailles might place them at the mercy of an alien power they hate. “
“these people (referring to the 3.5 million Sudeten Germans) are being ruined methodically and hence are subject to a slow but steady extermination.”
“The misery of the Sudeten Germans defies description…In a humanitarian context, they are being oppressed and humiliated in an unprecedented fashion.”
“It was a short-sighted enterprise which the architects of Versailles conceived when they gave birth to the abnormal structure of the Czechoslovakian state.”
“The Reich will no longer stand for any further oppression and persecution of these three and a half million Germans. And I implore all foreign statesmen not to think this mere rhetoric.”
“Germany… is determined, and has stated as much, to accept these borders (the current borders in Europe) as inviolable and unchangeable in order to give Europe a feeling of security and peace.”
“I am simply demanding that the oppression of three and a half million Germans in Czechoslovakia cease and that the inalienable right to self-determination take its place.”
During ongoing negotiations, Hitler followed up two weeks later with another speech on 9/26/1938*. He says that time is running out for a solution.
“We… have assured all countries bordering on us that Germany will respect their territorial integrity. “
“We want nothing of France! Nothing at all! All that is there are two great peoples both wishing to work and live. And they will live best once they work together.”
“It is the last territorial demand I shall make in Europe.“
“Central Europe was torn apart in 1918 as certain crazed statesmen set to redraw the political landscape. Atomized and divided, new states were arbitrarily created in Central Europe in complete disregard of the origins of their peoples, their national desires, and of economic necessities.”
“The Czech state was born a lie…there is no such thing as a Czechoslovakian nation.”
“…a war has been waged to exterminate the Germans there. Nearly 600,000 Germans were driven from their homes during these years of “peaceful development” in Czechoslovakia. “
“I demanded clearly that, now twenty years after President Wilson’s pledges, the right to self-determination must become reality for these three and a half million as well. “
“Germany’s patience had reached its limit.”
“Any territory which is German according to its populace and which wants to come to Germany belongs to Germany.”
“I have assured him (British Prime Minister Chamberlain) further, that, and this I repeat here before you, once this issue has been resolved, there will no longer be any further territorial problems for Germany in Europe! “
“The decision…is now! Be it war or peace! …either accept my offer and give the Germans their freedom, or we Germans will go get it for ourselves.”
A few days later, on September 30, 1938, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy agreed to transfer the Sudetenland to Germany. This is known as the ‘Munich Agreement.’ Czechoslovakia was not part of the negotiations. Since both France and England supported the agreement, the Czechs felt they had no choice but to go along.
Six months later, in March 1939, Germany annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia. And after another six months, Germany started World War II in Europe by invading Poland on September 1, 1939.
In future posts we will cover the eerie similarities between Hitler’s speeches regarding the Germans in Czechoslovakia and Putin’s statements about Russians in Ukraine. We will also look at opposition inside of England to the Munich Agreement.
* Link to full text of 9/12/1938 speech - click here
* Link to full text of 9/26/1938 speech - click here