Barry A. Klinger, 11 August 2015
“The world has learned key lessons from this episode. (1) Placating a bully such as Hitler only indicates weakness, so the way to avert war is to stand firm against the bully. Thus British capitulation emboldened Germany to attack other countries. (2) Failing to go to war at the first opportunity will lead to greater death and destruction later on. If only Britain and France had confronted Hitler in 1938, they could have defeated him without the horror of World War II. (3) It is inappropriate to apply values supporting peace and fairness when dealing with a criminal who does not care about either. Since Hitler’s real goal in Sudetenland was not to help Sudeten Germans but to find a pretext for a war of conquest, satisfying his demands was of no value.
“It is time to unlearn all these lessons.”