Munich Conference (Munich Goes Sour)

The Munich Conference, held September 29, 1938, was a meeting of the heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, represented by Führer and Reichs Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister Édouard Daladier, and Duche and Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, respectively, for the purpose of discussing the future of the Sudetenland in the face of territorial demands made by Adolf Hitler. The conference convened in the Führerbau in Munich.

The meeting was intended mainly to discuss Germany's demands for the Sudetenland, where the Sudeten Germans formed the majority of the population. The Sudetenland was of immense strategic importance to Czechoslovakia, as most of its border defenses were situated there, and many of its banks and factories were located there as well.

While the aim of the conference was to solve the Sudetenland crisis in a peaceful manner, it eventually failed in preventing the outbreak of the Second World War. During the conference, news of the Krásná Lípa incident reached Hitler, prompting him to vent his rage against Czechoslovakia and order war to begin right in front of his horrified audience. Both Chamberlain and Daladier expressed their confusion of Hitler's rhetoric and sudden lack of interest to solve the issue peacefully.

Daladier, who had no illusions about Hitler's ultimate goals, even noted the incident was too convenient for Hitler's goal, which enraged Hitler even further. As a result, Daladier announced that France would abide by their alliance with Czechoslovakia in the case of a German attack, and subsequently walked out of the conference, quickly followed afterwards by a dissapointed and a hesitant Chamberlain.

Germany invaded Czechoslovakia on October 1, 1938, as they had previously threatened. As a result, France, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union declared war on Germany on October 3.