MUNICH 1938 PEACE AGREEMENT

The English

Mussolini, in an attempt to test the British waters again, began by approaching the new Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, the son of his old friend in England, Austen Chamberlain. He did this as he was not as trustful of his German ally as he let the world believe. This was 1938 and the fires of wars and the threat of wars were being stirred. One reason for his hope that Britain might be different was that Anthony Eden, whom Mussolini did not like or trust, had resigned from the government. But, once again, he was disappointed. Britain, he said, was thoroughly confused in her attitudes and policies and the general population was led to believe, by anti-Italian press releases and news coverage, that Fascism was an evil that must be stamped out for the sake of democracy and freedom. Neville Chamberlain made a last overture to Mussolini. He offered to meet with Germany and France to arrange for the transfer of the Sudetenland, a disputed region of Czechoslovakia, to Germany. Mussolini chose Munich as the site of the meeting and arranged the conference, to be held on September 29, 1938. The world cheered this peace initiative. Mussolini was the centre of the world's attention by this master stroke of diplomacy, by having deterred Hitler from his promised action of military movements against the government of Czechoslovakia. Mussolini was the only participant at the Munich conference who spoke all the languages of their meetings, and he went from one delegation to another clarifying points. Mussolini acted as the conference's host and chairman. He opened the meeting by stating the demands of Germany. The meeting then broke up into bloc meetings, with Mussolini carrying messages and information and his input between the delegations. He dominated the conference and Hitler yielded to him time and time again. He told the British and the French that the situation between Czechoslovakia and Germany was not a matter of significant importance to plunge the world into another World War.

On September 3, 1939, Prime Ministers Chamberlain of England and Daladier of France announced to their respective parliaments that their earlier promises of peace were premature and their countries bilaterally declare war on Germany. England, the first to attack, sent bombers to Germany's North Seaports and destroyed the ships they found in their harbours.

All through this period, Mussolini remained resolved in his decision to remain neutral, but was becoming very concerned about the future status of Italy and Fascism. He began to see himself and his country being surrounded by conflicting groups, which would threaten Italy's future regardless of whatever decisions he made.

P.S."This Peace Agreement" did not please certain people in England and The United States who were working actively to create a theatre of war in Europe and Asia. In England it was Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Louis Montbatten, Sir Anthony Eden, Lord Robert Cecile and others made up the War Political and Propaganda Machinery of England, in the United States it was Franklin Delano Roosevelt and in Russia it was Joseph Stalin. In 1939 they got their desired war which lasted until 1945 and claimed the lives of 60 million military and civilian deaths.