Immediate Reactions

Czechoslovakia had been prepared to defend themselves against Germany prior to the Munich Pact. When their allies had voided their bilateral defense treaties, Czechoslovakia was alone. After the Munich Pact was signed, the Czech people were surprised by this, as they had always strived to be stronger allies with the western powers. The Czech people had felt abandoned and had blamed most of their problems on President Edvard Benes.

Hitler had wanted to have a limited battle against Czechoslovakia to show the world his military strength, to gain the land, resources, and to liberate the ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland. After being convinced to talk with Britain and France by Benito Mussolini, Hitler had signed the Munich Pact, which gave him the Sudetenland. Hitler "felt cheated of the limited war against the Czechs which he had been aiming for all summer" after taking over Czechoslovakia with almost no resistance.