Hitler's rise to power in Germany in 1933 marked the beginning of an extremely turbulent and uncertain period for the European balance of power. From their first appearance on the scene, the Nazis had shown themselves determined to overturn the continental order established by the 1919 Versailles Conference, which Hitler himself considered a profound humiliation to German national pride. From the outset, Hitler clearly showed his intention to redeem Germany by proposing a vast program of progressive re-annexation and integration of all German-speaking minorities and countries within the Reich. 

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, elected in Great Britain in 1937, did not know what Hitler's real intentions were. The chancellor was not only aiming to reintegrate Germans into a single country, which was merely an excuse, but also to expand German hegemony across the continent, eliminating France and Great Britain as rivals in the geopolitical control of Europe. Chamberlain became convinced that the wisest course of action was compromise. His logic was simple: grant Hitler what appeared to be “legitimate” claims in order to prevent a wider conflict. Thus, in the face of the Anschluss of 1938, Great Britain did not lift a finger: the annexation of Austria was seen as an inevitable rapprochement between two “brother” peoples. But the reality was different: it was the first step in a much more ambitious project.

The real test came with the Sudeten crisis, a key region of Czechoslovakia inhabited by German-speaking populations. Here Chamberlain tried to play his diplomatic card: he flew to Germany three times, met Hitler, and agreed to sacrifice the Sudetenland in the name of peace. The result was the famous Munich Agreement of September 1938, hailed as a triumph at home, but in reality a resounding strategic error. Hitler had not been appeased, but encouraged. March 1939 was the final test: German troops occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, revealing to the world that these were not ‘territorial adjustments’ at all. Hitler wanted to dominate Europe, and the illusion that he could be contained through diplomacy proved tragic. Chamberlain's policy of appeasement had failed, giving the Nazi regime precious time to strengthen itself militarily and pushing the whole of Europe towards the brink of war. A painful reminder of the consequences of negotiations between dictatorships and democracies.