Fascism and the Start of World War II

British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, returning to England to declare "peace in our time" after the 1938 Munich Conference..
Historians have long debated the causes of World War II--and specifically whether a firmer response by the Western allies (the US, France, and Britain) might have stopped Hitler. Today we'll explore the issue.
READING:
bullet World War II time line (for background)--Read only through 1939 on both timelines for today.

DOCUMENTS:

bullet The Nazi Olympics--Berlin (1936)
bullet Italy and the Hoare-Laval Pact (1935)
bullet The Munich Agreement (1938)
bullet Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in Our Time" address (in RealAudio)
bullet British House of Commons--debate over Munich agreement

 

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Two views of the changed European boundaries after the Munich agreement. Click on each map for an enlarged version.