With the establishment of the Weimar Republic, Germany had to carry the burden of the Treaty of Versailles and the harsh conditions set by it. Looking for a powerful leader to bring Germany back to glory, the German people entrusted in Hitler, who rose to power in 1933. One promise he made to the German people was to expand the nation and restore its glory, creating a Grossdeutshland as a result. This eventually led to events such as the annexation of Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia where many German ethnics lived. However this was not extent to his ambitions and goals. In this blog post, the question as suggested in the title will be answered, with the help of explaining about Sudetenland's annexation and Britain's policy of appeasement, while also looking at the possibility of prevention of WWII.
WWII was not preventable through mere diplomacy—or any way at all—as Hitler was bound for warpath and Germany was ready for it. Hitler had prepared the German military in secret since his rise to power and violated the Treaty of Versailles. As his ambitions to expand the empire grew, there wasn’t much that could be done to stop him, as war was inevitable it was just a matter of when it would erupt. Diplomacy was far too mild a solution, and there just had to be war, therefore arguably, WWII was not preventable through diplomacy.
WWII was not preventable through mere diplomacy—or any way at all—as Hitler was bound for warpath and Germany was ready for it. Hitler had prepared the German military in secret since his rise to power and violated the Treaty of Versailles. As his ambitions to expand the empire grew, there wasn’t much that could be done to stop him, as war was inevitable it was just a matter of when it would erupt. Diplomacy was far too mild a solution, and there just had to be war, therefore arguably, WWII was not preventable through diplomacy.
Chamberlain was indeed naïve to think that war was preventable through appeasement, however he doesn’t deserve all the bashing from implementing this policy. At the time, the British military was not capable of another war and were not prepared in anyway to fight Germany. Also, the British public was insistent in avoiding another war as the previous war had adverse effects on Europe. And so weighing the factors, Chamberlain didn’t have many options of action to take. This being said, appeasement would’ve only forestalled the war, not prevented it, since Hitler was on for far more expansion and has a much broader vision of ambitions.
Hypothetically, if Germany's annexation of Sudetenland was prevented by British and French forces, war would still occur. This one event does not simply mark the end to Hitler's ambitions, in fact, it might even motivate him even more so. Hitler's ambitions were proven to be more far-reaching than what the British imagined them to be; Hitler had wanted to provide more living space for the Germans and retaking Poland and areas where German ethnics were populated was one of the major goals Hitler aimed to achieve. He also laid out his basic philosophy and ideas, which included the mass extermination of Jews, or whoever he deemed unfit. And so this proves that Hitler was an unstoppable force who would be prepared to lose anything in order to pave way for his goals.
So lets answer the essential question: was WWII preventable through diplomacy during the 1938 Munich Crisis? At this stage, no. War was inevitable and there wasn't much that could be done to stop it from erupting. Hypothetically, if Sudetenland was not ceded to Germany, the nation could possibly declare war on the stop on the account that they were ready for it. However, Britain's policy of appeasement greatly encouraged Hitler to expand further as he saw no force in their way. And so at this stage, there wasn't much that could be done to prevent WWII from happening, as Germany was on warpath and it was just a matter of time when war will break out.
Hypothetically, if Germany's annexation of Sudetenland was prevented by British and French forces, war would still occur. This one event does not simply mark the end to Hitler's ambitions, in fact, it might even motivate him even more so. Hitler's ambitions were proven to be more far-reaching than what the British imagined them to be; Hitler had wanted to provide more living space for the Germans and retaking Poland and areas where German ethnics were populated was one of the major goals Hitler aimed to achieve. He also laid out his basic philosophy and ideas, which included the mass extermination of Jews, or whoever he deemed unfit. And so this proves that Hitler was an unstoppable force who would be prepared to lose anything in order to pave way for his goals.
So lets answer the essential question: was WWII preventable through diplomacy during the 1938 Munich Crisis? At this stage, no. War was inevitable and there wasn't much that could be done to stop it from erupting. Hypothetically, if Sudetenland was not ceded to Germany, the nation could possibly declare war on the stop on the account that they were ready for it. However, Britain's policy of appeasement greatly encouraged Hitler to expand further as he saw no force in their way. And so at this stage, there wasn't much that could be done to prevent WWII from happening, as Germany was on warpath and it was just a matter of time when war will break out.