Changes

   

   

==== Prophecies which made [[Jeremiah]] appear an optimist ====

==== Prophecies which made [[Jeremiah]] appear an optimist ====

A few days later, during the British Parliamentary Debate on the Munich Agreement, Duff Cooper described Hitler in his address as a dictator that does not understand the language of sweet reasonableness and that discards the old diplomatic methods and introduces a [[Gleichschaltung|new vocabulary into Europe]]. He criticized the approach in which “we were always told that on no account must we irritate Herr Hitler; it was particularly dangerous to irritate him before he made a public speech, because if he were so irritated he might say some terrible things from which afterwards there would be no retreat. It seems to me that Herr Hitler never makes a speech save under the influence of considerable irritation, and the addition of one more irritant would not, I should have thought, have made a great difference, whereas the communication of a solemn fact would have produced a sobering effect.” He suggested that urging the mobilization of the Fleet and the mailed fist would be the kind of language which would be easier for Herr Hitler to understand than the guarded language of diplomacy or the conditional clauses of the Civil Service. While Chamberlain considered this to be the one thing that would had ruined the peace mission, Cooper argued it would be the one thing leading it to success and was highly critical of Chamberlain that he still believes he can rely upon the good faith of Hitler. Finally Cooper concluded that if he was a party to persuading, or even to suggesting to, the Czechoslovak government that they should accept ultimatum, he should never be able to hold up his head again: “I have ruined, perhaps, my political career. But that is a little matter; I have retained something which is to me of great value—I can still walk about the world with my head erect.”<ref>{{cite web |title= Munich: Blunder, Plot, or Tragic Necessity? |chapter=The British Parliamentary Debate on the Munich Agreement: Duff Cooper, House Of Commons, October 3, 1938. |author= Dwight E. Lee  |url= https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/munich.htm |accessdate=November 1, 2014 }}</ref>

A few days later, during the British Parliamentary Debate on the Munich Agreement, Duff Cooper described Hitler in his address as a dictator that does not understand the language of sweet reasonableness and that discards the old diplomatic methods and introduces a [[Gleichschaltung|new vocabulary into Europe]]. He criticized the approach in which “we were always told that on no account must we irritate Herr Hitler; it was particularly dangerous to irritate him before he made a public speech, because if he were so irritated he might say some terrible things from which afterwards there would be no retreat. It seems to me that Herr Hitler never makes a speech save under the influence of considerable irritation, and the addition of one more irritant would not, I should have thought, have made a great difference, whereas the communication of a solemn fact would have produced a sobering effect.” He suggested that urging the mobilization of the Fleet and the mailed fist would be the kind of language which would be easier for Herr Hitler to understand than the guarded language of diplomacy or the conditional clauses of the Civil Service. While Chamberlain considered this to be the one thing that would had ruined the peace mission, Cooper argued it would be the one thing leading it to success and was highly critical of Chamberlain that he still believes he can rely upon the good faith of Hitler. Finally Cooper concluded that if he was a party to persuading, or even to suggesting to, the Czechoslovak government that they should accept ultimatum, he should never be able to hold up his head again: “I have ruined, perhaps, my political career. But that is a little matter; I have retained something which is to me of great value—I can still walk about the world with my head erect.”<ref>{{cite web |title="The British Parliamentary Debate on the Munich Agreement"|work=Munich: Blunder, Plot, or Tragic Necessity?|chapter=The British Parliamentary Debate on the Munich Agreement: Duff Cooper, House Of Commons, October 3, 1938. |author= Dwight E. Lee  |url= https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/munich.htm |accessdate=November 1, 2014 }}</ref>

During his contribution to debate, occasionally interrupted by screams ''„Rude! Rude!“'' and ''„nonsense,“'' Churchill maintained that the utmost Chamberlain has been able to gain for Czechoslovakia and in the matters which were in dispute has been that the German dictator, instead of snatching his victuals from the table, has been content to have them served to him course by course. Lord Maugham labeled Churchill an ''"agitator"'' who should be ''"shot or hanged."'' ''[[The Times]]'' reported that Churchill had ''"treated a crowded House to prophecies which made Jeremiah appear an optimist"'' and referred patronizingly to his ''"dismal sincerity."''<ref>{{cite book |title=The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 |author=William Manchester, Paul Reid |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |year=2013 |isbn=9780345548634|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=Jz2NnQEACAAJ&dq=W.+ManchesterThe+Last+Lion&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mxFVVIHGOMzhapXwgegP&redir_esc=y}}</ref>  

During his contribution to debate, occasionally interrupted by screams ''"Rude! Rude!"'' and ''"nonsense,"'' Churchill maintained that the utmost Chamberlain has been able to gain for Czechoslovakia and in the matters which were in dispute has been that the German dictator, instead of snatching his victuals from the table, has been content to have them served to him course by course. Lord Maugham labeled Churchill an ''"agitator"'' who should be ''"shot or hanged."'' ''[[The Times]]'' reported that Churchill had ''"treated a crowded House to prophecies which made Jeremiah appear an optimist"'' and referred patronizingly to his ''"dismal sincerity."''<ref>{{cite book |title=The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 |author=William Manchester, Paul Reid |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |year=2013 |isbn=9780345548634|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=Jz2NnQEACAAJ&dq=W.+ManchesterThe+Last+Lion&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mxFVVIHGOMzhapXwgegP&redir_esc=y}}</ref>  

Less than a half-year later, Hitler broke his promises, took all of Czechoslovakia and then invaded [[Poland]] in September 1939, thus starting World War II in Europe.<ref name="Munich Pact Documentary">{{cite web |title=Rok 1938 - Mníchovská Zrada (The year of 1938 - Munich Betrayal)|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MOyTeUf1Qc |quote=The aim of this tremendous national effort was to preserve the freedom and democracy in Czechoslovakia, peace and order in Europe by standing firm against the threats of [[Fascism]]. On September the 23rd, there was hope that united democracies would save the peace and Czechoslovakia by forcing Hitler to abandon his invasion. Hitler summoned Chamberlain and Daladier to Munich on Thursday September the 29th. So long as the western democracies leaders had stood firm at many crisis, there was neither war nor surrender, but this time, they flew to obey. The [[Fascist]] powers did not win their battles by actual force, but by issuing the orders with confidence. ...president Beneš was forced to resign his office to make the way for a government that will take the orders from Berlin. The mass demonstration of brokenhearted people of Prague after the surrender of Munich showed that thousands still had the will to resist, but in vain. Leaderless and betrayed, they could not stand against the Munich powers. ... The western democracies have sacrificed their prestige, the human race itself is and humiliated by these events. ...These are the immediate consequences of yielding to Fascist threats of force and violence. The only hope to offer is that in the other lands there may still be men who do not tremble when Adolf Hitler cracks the whip. Peace and freedom and the right to live - they can only be possible in lands where men are determined that the [[swastika]] shall not be raised in triumph and where the pages of '[[Mein Kampf]]' can never become our supreme law.|language=English (Czech subtitles)}}</ref> According to [[Winston Churchill]], who opposed the agreement and called it "a total and unmitigated defeat" and "a disaster of the first magnitude" right from the time when it was signed, ''"There was never a war in all history easier to prevent by timely action."''<ref>{{cite web |title=Morally Paralyzed |author=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Townhall.com |date=Jul 24, 2007 |url=http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2007/07/24/morally_paralyzed |accessdate=January 1, 2014}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|cf. "At the same time the illusion of Munich Pact was shattered. By spring everyone new there was going to be war. You could smell it, as you smell a fire long before you see it. Only the diplomats shut their eyes and dreamed wishful dreams – of a second or third Munich, or anything but war. Never have so many people believed in miracles as in our times, when there aren’t any" E.M. Remarque.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Night in Lisbon: A Novel  |author=Erich Maria Remarque |publisher= Random House Publishing Group |year=2014 |isbn=978-0812-985597}}</ref>|group=note}} Today Czechs and Slovaks label the ''Munich Pact'' also as the ''Munich Dictate'' or the ''Munich Betrayal'' because the system of alliances in Central Europe guaranteed by [[France]] and [[Britain]] upon which [[Czechoslovakia]] had relied for her safety proved of no avail. The mass demonstration of brokenhearted people of Prague after the surrender of Munich showed that thousands still had the will to resist, but in vain. Leaderless and betrayed, they could not stand against the Munich powers. The western democracies have sacrificed their prestige. The immediate consequence of yielding to Fascist threats of force and violence was that the only hope to offer was the very existence of the other lands where "there may still be men who do not tremble when Adolf Hitler cracks the whip". Western democratic leaders did not manage to stand firm against the threats of [[Fascism]], representatives of which consequently gained confidence in the following their intentions openly described in the ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' as aiming at fascist mastery of Europe and eventual destruction of the world democracy.<ref name="Munich Pact Documentary"/>{{#tag:ref|cf. ''"Behind the Nazi party stands the German people, who elected [[Hitler]] after he had in his book and in his speeches made his shameful intentions clear beyond the possibility of misunderstanding."''<ref>{{cite book |title=Einstein. A life. |author=Denis Brian |publisher=J. Wiley |place=New York |year=1996 |pages=233 |isbn=9780471114598 |url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=plYcU56xENCv4QTG5YGoDg&hl=sk&id=jaXvAAAAMAAJ&dq=Brian+Einstein+A+life&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=speeches }}</ref>  

Less than a half-year later, Hitler broke his promises, took all of Czechoslovakia and then invaded [[Poland]] in September 1939, thus starting World War II in Europe.<ref name="Munich Pact Documentary">{{cite web |title=Rok 1938 - Mníchovská Zrada (The year of 1938 - Munich Betrayal)|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MOyTeUf1Qc |quote=The aim of this tremendous national effort was to preserve the freedom and democracy in Czechoslovakia, peace and order in Europe by standing firm against the threats of [[Fascism]]. On September the 23rd, there was hope that united democracies would save the peace and Czechoslovakia by forcing Hitler to abandon his invasion. Hitler summoned Chamberlain and Daladier to Munich on Thursday September the 29th. So long as the western democracies leaders had stood firm at many crisis, there was neither war nor surrender, but this time, they flew to obey. The [[Fascist]] powers did not win their battles by actual force, but by issuing the orders with confidence. ...president Beneš was forced to resign his office to make the way for a government that will take the orders from Berlin. The mass demonstration of brokenhearted people of Prague after the surrender of Munich showed that thousands still had the will to resist, but in vain. Leaderless and betrayed, they could not stand against the Munich powers. ... The western democracies have sacrificed their prestige, the human race itself is and humiliated by these events. ...These are the immediate consequences of yielding to Fascist threats of force and violence. The only hope to offer is that in the other lands there may still be men who do not tremble when Adolf Hitler cracks the whip. Peace and freedom and the right to live - they can only be possible in lands where men are determined that the [[swastika]] shall not be raised in triumph and where the pages of '[[Mein Kampf]]' can never become our supreme law.|language=English (Czech subtitles)}}</ref> According to [[Winston Churchill]], who opposed the agreement and called it "a total and unmitigated defeat" and "a disaster of the first magnitude" right from the time when it was signed, ''"There was never a war in all history easier to prevent by timely action."''<ref>{{cite web |title=Morally Paralyzed |author=Thomas Sowell |publisher=Townhall.com |date=Jul 24, 2007 |url=http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2007/07/24/morally_paralyzed |accessdate=January 1, 2014}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|cf. "At the same time the illusion of Munich Pact was shattered. By spring everyone new there was going to be war. You could smell it, as you smell a fire long before you see it. Only the diplomats shut their eyes and dreamed wishful dreams – of a second or third Munich, or anything but war. Never have so many people believed in miracles as in our times, when there aren’t any" E.M. Remarque.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Night in Lisbon: A Novel  |author=Erich Maria Remarque |publisher= Random House Publishing Group |year=2014 |isbn=978-0812-985597}}</ref>|group=note}} Today Czechs and Slovaks label the ''Munich Pact'' also as the ''Munich Dictate'' or the ''Munich Betrayal'' because the system of alliances in Central Europe guaranteed by [[France]] and [[Britain]] upon which [[Czechoslovakia]] had relied for her safety proved of no avail. The mass demonstration of brokenhearted people of Prague after the surrender of Munich showed that thousands still had the will to resist, but in vain. Leaderless and betrayed, they could not stand against the Munich powers. The western democracies have sacrificed their prestige. The immediate consequence of yielding to Fascist threats of force and violence was that the only hope to offer was the very existence of the other lands where "there may still be men who do not tremble when Adolf Hitler cracks the whip". Western democratic leaders did not manage to stand firm against the threats of [[Fascism]], representatives of which consequently gained confidence in the following their intentions openly described in the ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' as aiming at fascist mastery of Europe and eventual destruction of the world democracy.<ref name="Munich Pact Documentary"/>{{#tag:ref|cf. ''"Behind the Nazi party stands the German people, who elected [[Hitler]] after he had in his book and in his speeches made his shameful intentions clear beyond the possibility of misunderstanding."''<ref>{{cite book |title=Einstein. A life. |author=Denis Brian |publisher=J. Wiley |place=New York |year=1996 |pages=233 |isbn=9780471114598 |url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=plYcU56xENCv4QTG5YGoDg&hl=sk&id=jaXvAAAAMAAJ&dq=Brian+Einstein+A+life&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=speeches }}</ref>