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When Hitler marched his troops into Czechoslovakia in March 1939, it became clear that appeasement [Appeasement: The policy of pacifying an aggressor through giving in to their demands, thus maintaining peace. ] had failed. Was this the only reason why Chamberlain abandoned appeasement, or were there other factors involved?
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
German troops marched into Czechoslovakia on 15th March 1939
On 15 March 1939, German troops marched into Czechoslovakia. They took over Bohemia, and established a protectorate [Protectorate: Any state or territory protected and partially controlled by a stronger one. ] over Slovakia.
Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia was the end of appeasement:
- It proved that Hitler had been lying at Munich.
- It showed that Hitler was not just interested in a 'Greater Germany' (the Czechs were not Germans).
- On 17th March, Chamberlain gave a speech saying that he could not trust Hitler not to invade other countries.
- On 31st March, Chamberlain guaranteed to defend Poland if Germany invaded.
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