This was of course not the end of the story for
Czechoslovakia. Slovakia seceded and a pro-German state was erected there, while
the Transcarpathian Ukraine was ceded to Hungary. Shortly afterwards the remnant
of Czechia was forcibly incorporated by Germany under the pretext of a
“Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”. The violation of the Munich agreement by
Hitler did bring home finally that he could not be trusted and that war was
inevitable. Poland
was now widely regarded as Hitler’s
next target.
The
Western Democracies had ended their disarmament as far back as 1936 after the
re-occupation of the Rhineland by Hitler. The pace of re-armament had been too
slow however. The allies would not have enough time to make up for that.
