Are you surprised that Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement of September 1938?

Explain your
answer. (10)
No, I am not surprised Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement in September 1938 because he
thought he had achieved ‘peace for our time’. There was a great danger of a war and Chamberlain
thought that by signing he had made Hitler happy and there would be no more demands from the
German leader as Hitler had promised. Hitler had got the Sudetenland and he and Chamberlain had
agreed to do all they could to support the peace of Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising that
Chamberlain signed the Munich agreement.
Furthermore, Chamberlain wanted to build a relationship with Hitler and felt he could trust him.
Chamberlain feared that communism was spreading and believed Hitler could be an ally to stop the
spread and fight against the Soviet Union. Europeans had become increasingly worried about
communism and Chamberlain had seen issues in Britain with regards to communism. He felt Hitler
would be the man to help stop Stalin. Therefore, Chamberlain’s decision was not surprising.
However, it was surprising to many at the time. Chamberlain was signing over a part of another
country, Czechoslovakia, to Hitler. Czechoslovakia was not even at the meeting where the agreement
was made. He should have realised that if you give in to dictators like this, then they will only want
more. This was quickly proven when Hitler further invaded Czechoslovakia. Hitler had already
broken the ToV enough times and needed to be stopped, it is surprising Chamberlain did not do so.
In conclusion, in some ways it is surprising that Chamberlain did not condemn Hitler’s actions for
clearly breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations covenant. However, Chamberlain
fell for Hitler’s charm and persuasion and believed he had an ally. Additionally, Chamberlain needed
to keep Britain safe from communism so it is not surprising that Chamberlain signed the Munich
Agreement in 1938.