The Czechoslovak crisis and the Baltic states in 1938: a fateful year for the Baltic states

ENIn Czechoslovakia, too, East and West collide. The First World War, the October Revolution in Russia, and the November revolution in Germany brought about the dissolution of empires and gave independence to the Baltic peoples as well as to the Czechs and the Slovaks. Throughout the post-war period, debate has surrounded the question of whether the vastly bigger catastrophe of the Second World War could have been avoided. The Munich Pact and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact were both key factors leading to the catastrophe. Internationally, the Munich Pact meant the destruction of the Republic of Czechoslovakia and the essential liquidation of the Versailles system, the League of Nations, and the principle of collective security.1 Czechoslovakia’s relations with Hitler’s Germany and with Poland in 1938 were linked to the preservation of peace and stability in Europe. In that year the fate of Czechoslovakia became a critical question, especially in European diplomatic circles and the press, as well as among the general public. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were no exception in this.