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Distributed for Karolinum Press, Charles University

In the Shadow of Munich

British Policy towards Czechoslovakia from the Endorsement to the Renunciation of the Munich Agreement (1938-1942)

Distributed for Karolinum Press, Charles University

In the Shadow of Munich

British Policy towards Czechoslovakia from the Endorsement to the Renunciation of the Munich Agreement (1938-1942)

In September 1938, the major powers of Europe convened in Munich to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia in light of territorial demands made by Adolf Hitler. The ensuing agreement signed by Germany, France, Great Britain, and Italy authorized the German takeover of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Just four years later, however, the British government declared the Munich Agreement void and thus having no influence whatsoever on the future settlements of this region.
With In the Shadow of Munich, Smetana brings a fresh perspective to an often misunderstood epoch of European history. Drawing on his extensive research in British and Czech government archives, as well as numerous diaries and memoirs from the period, Smetana aims to dispel frequent myths and stereotypes that have long influenced interpretations of British and Czech relations immediately before and during World War II. A unique and provocative work, In the Shadow of Munich is essential for scholars of Slavic, Central, and East European studies.
 

360 pages | 5 x 8 | © 2008

History: European History


Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
 
Introduction
Aimes and methodology
Bibliographical essay
Structure of the book
 
British foreign policy and Czechoslovakia before Munich 1938 (historical introduction)
British strategies in the inter-war period
The "Czechoslovak year": 1938
 
Britain and the crumbling of Czechoslovakia (30 September 1938-15 March 1939)
The implementation of Munich and its immediate impact upon British politics
The question of the Munich guarantee
Britain’s policy towards Central Europe between Munich and 15 March 1939
Towards the March ides
 
Towards the outbreak of war (15 march-3 September 1939)
The immediate repercussions of the March ides in British politics
British international efforts between 15 March and the outbreak of the war
Military and econimc implciations of the German subjugation of Czechoslovakia
"The Czech gold scandal"
Britain and independent Slovakia
Britain’s de facto recognition of German annexation and the question of the Czechoslovak balances (a study of interdependence of foreign policy and economic interests)
The problem of the Czechoslovak Legation in London
Conclusion
 
British attitudes towards the development of Czechoslovak political representation in exile (October 1938-July 1940)
Britain’s assistance to refugees from Czechoslovakia, 1938-1939
Britain’s attitudes to the formation of Czechoslovak political represenation abroad before the outbreak of war
Czechoslovakia and the British war aims
The recognition of the Czechoslovak National Committee
Towards the Provisional Government
Conclusion
 
The other life of Munich and the "unbearable lightness" of provisional status (July 1940-July 1941)
The legacy of Munich and the battles for history
Establishing the governing structures in exile
The thorny way to full recognition - stage 1
The thorny way to full recognition - state 2
Conclusion
 
Planning for the future while looking to the past (1940-1942)
The Polish-Czechoslovak Confederation in British, Polish and Czechoslovak plans
The question of hte Czechoslovak forntiers and the origins of "permanent solution" of the Sudeten German issue
Conclusion
 
General conclusions
Bibliography
Biographical notes
Index

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