Czechoslovakia in face of the dictates of Western powers in 1938 in the light of Jan Masaryk’s correspondence from London
Czechoslovakia in face of the dictates of Western powers in 1938 in the light of Jan Masaryk’s correspondence from London
Author(s): Marek Kazimierz Kamiński Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Military history, Political history, Recent History (1900 till today), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939)
Published by: Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: interwar period Czechoslovakia; partition of Czechoslovakia 1938; Germans in Czechoslovakia; British-Czechoslovak relations; Jan Masaryk;
Summary/Abstract: The issue of the lands inhabited by the Sudeten Germans within the Czechoslovak state became the reason for the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1938. The German minority had the right to demand the creation of an independent state under the principle of self-determination. In 1921, there was a substantial German minority of 23.4 percent in Czechoslovakia, making it the second largest nationality in the republic. When defining the new borders, the victorious Entente powers could have prevented an unnecessary conflict, due to which Europe suddenly found itself in 1938 on the threshold of another world war. However, they failed to do so, lacking political imagination; and Czechoslovakia has paid the price.
Journal: Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
- Issue Year: 51/2016
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 199-206
- Page Count: 8
- Language: English