History of Wars Summary 10 - Interwar Period of World Wars 5: The Munich Agreement and the Start of World War II

In 1938, Germany continued its territorial expansion by annexing Austria and demanding the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The UK and France negotiated with Germany to avoid war, agreeing in the Munich Agreement of September 1938 to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. However, Hitler did not stop there and occupied the Czech regions in March 1939. Germany then intensified its territorial demands on Poland and signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union. This pact also included a secret agreement to divide Eastern European spheres of influence. Meanwhile, the cooperative relationship between Japan, Italy, and Germany strengthened, rapidly worsening the international situation. The UK and France declared their intention to respond to further German expansion by guaranteeing Poland's independence. Finally, on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.