The
Inter-War Period and WWII
Prior
to the Munich Crisis of 1938, Czechoslovakia's military position was not as
hopeless as Poland's would be in the wake of the German-Soviet Pact. In fact,
President Edvard Beneš regarded the sacrifice of the Sudetenland to Hitler
as a failure of the Great Powers; Great Britain and France. Beneš felt the
results of the conferences were not due to the rational calculation of military
and political odds, but rather the failure of political and psychological
nerves.
Czechoslovakia did not suffer from
treatment as harsh as Poland during German occupation. In fact the state
benefited from German industrial plants that were relocated to avoid American
and British bombing. Although the investment of German industry was beneficial,
Czechoslovakia suffered significant losses of both territory and resources
to Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Perhaps its greatest territorial loss during
this period was Slovakia which was granted full autonomy by the Reich, as
was Ruthenia on October 8. Czech and Slovak political leaders realized they
were dependent on Hitler's benevolence and decided to willingly collaborate.
Czecho-Slovakia, as it became,
was required to cede all territories with a German population of 50% or greater
to Germany under the Munich agreement. Poland and Hungary took of advantage
of Czech vulnerability and issued their own ultimatums for the cession of
long-disputed territories. Ultimately, Czechoslovakia lost its western and
northern borders, and with them its best fortifications, natural defenses
and economic resources. (map
attached)
Life after
the agreement was plagued by many changes. Not only was the Czech party-system
suspended, but the communists were banned. Also, Jews were restricted and
persecuted and the German minority was given a privileged status. Overall,
1.2 million Czechs and Slovkas were killed. In addition to the extermination
of the Jews, brutalization of the Czech intellectual and professional classes
was common. Around 50,000 Czechs were executed directly or died in concentration
camps. Additionally, plans were implemented to restructure the country along
lines of nationality.
Under German control, Czechoslovakia
became associated with the Axis Powers which originated with the 1936 Hitler-Mussolini
Accord and Military Alliance. With the Berlin Pact of September 1940, Japan
joined the Axis Powers and was later followed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,
Romania, and Slovakia. Also joining later were Denmark, Finland, Spain, and
pro-Japanese governments in Manchukuo and Nanking, China. However, as the
Axis war-effort began to fail these "allies" began to switch allegiances.
By the end of 1944 only Japan and Germany remained as Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia,
and Italy became occupied by the Allies.
Among the World War II participants,
Czechoslovakia suffered the least casualties: 10,000 military and 330,000
civilians. These numbers do not, however, account for the 1.2 million lives
lost outside of battle due to Hitler's extermination of Jews or Czech intellectuals
and Professionals. Ultimately a very hard lesson was learned: the sacrifice
of Czechoslovakia at the Berlin Conference in 1938 did not save the peace
in Europe.
