Sudetenland

Areas of the German majority in red (1930)

Sudetenland is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia that were inhabited mainly by Sudeten Germans. These German-speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia since the time of the Austrian Empire.

History

Until the emergence of nationalism in the 19th century and the coinage of the concept by the German-speaking inhabitants, the Sudentenland did not form a historical region, but was considered a mountain range in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia.

The region was situated on the borders of the former kingdom of Bohemia, which also included Moravia and later Silesia, and was part of the Holy Roman Empire. After the fall of the Czech Přemyslid dynasty, the kingdom was ruled successively by the House of Luxembourg, the Jagiellon, and finally the Habsburgs. Starting in the 13th century, the region had been populated by German colonists, invited to settle by the Bohemian kings. With the Habsburgs, the region was included in their kingdom and would remain so until the resurgence of nationalism in the 19th century, when the first conflicts between the Czechs and Germans emerged.

After World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, independent Czechoslovakia was proclaimed. However, the German deputies from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia in the Imperial Parliament refused accession citing US President Woodrow's Fourteen Points Wilson and proclaimed the union of the German-speaking territories to the new republic of Austria, which in turn aspired to join the Weimar Republic, establishing four regions:

• German Bohemia (Deutschböhmen): the regions of North and West Bohemia proclaimed a constituent State of Austria with capital in Reichenberg and administered by a president, called LandeshauptmannRafael Pacher (1857-1936), 29 October-6 November 1918, and Rudolf Ritter von Lodgman von Auen (1877-1962), 6 November-16 December 1918, when the last important city was occupied by the Czech army and must have continued its government in exile in Zittau, Saxony, and then in Vienna until 24 September 1919.
• Sudetenland Province: North Moravia regions proclaimed a land Austrian capital in Troppau ruled by Robert Freissler (1877-1950) as Landeshauptmann from 30 October to 18 December 1918.
• Bohemia Forest Region (Böhmerwald Gau): Bohemia Forest Region and Southern Bohemia, proclaimed as a district of the Bohemia Forest land Austrian Superior with Friedrich Wichtl (1872-1922) as Kreishauptmann since October 30, 1918.
• Southern German Moravia (Deutsch Südmähren): district of the land Austrian Inferior, administered by the Kreishauptmann Oskar Teufel (1880-1946) since October 30, 1918.

Other German minorities in Moravia, Brno, Jihlava and Olomouc also tried to join German-speaking Austria but were unsuccessful.

The North American commission of the Paris Peace Conference made a series of recommendations, later ignored, about the Czech territorial claims of German-speaking territories, in which they warned of the injustice that this entailed, aggravated after firing on the Czech army against German sympathizers on March 3, 1919, and of the potential danger to the future of Czechoslovakia that such aspirations (which included the Lusatia region) would entail, especially considering that German-speakers in these regions had millions of sympathizers in Germany and Austria, not giving much credit to the success of such an experiment. These recommendations were ignored and Czechoslovakia demanded the inclusion of the Sudetenland in its territory, which was endorsed by the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1919.

Disputes between Czechs and German-speakers persisted into the 1920s and escalated in the 1930s with the Great Depression which hit the Sudetenland particularly hard. This caused unemployment to skyrocket and, as a consequence of the discontent, the ideology of many inhabitants of the area became racialized.

Nazi Germany

Signature of the Munich agreements. Representatives of Italy, Germany and England: Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler (with his official interpreter Paul-Otto Schmidt) and Arthur Neville Chamberlain.

The Munich Agreements were approved and signed on September 30, 1938 by the heads of government of the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany, in order to solve the Sudetenland Crisis. Through the mediation of the Italian Benito Mussolini and at the initiative of Hermann Göring, the British Prime Minister, Arthur Neville Chamberlain, and his French counterpart, Édouard Daladier, approved the incorporation of the Sudetenland into Nazi Germany. million autochthonous Czech-Germans.

Following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland was placed under military administration with General Wilhelm Keitel as governor. On October 21, 1938, the territory was divided, incorporating the southern part into the neighboring districts of Oberdonau and Niederdonau. With the northern and western part the Sudetenland district was created and the city of Reichenberg (now Liberec) was named its capital. Konrad Henlein, already integrated into the Nazi party, governed the district as Reichskommissar and from May 1, 1939 as Reichsstatthalter until May 4, 1945 within the framework of the European theater in World War II. Thus, the Sudetenland came to have three districts: Eger (capital Karlsbad), Aussig (Aussig) and Troppau (Troppau).

Shortly after annexation, Jews, other minorities, and political dissidents began to be persecuted. Over the course of the war, the Nazis would transport about &&&&&&&&&0300000.&&&& &0300,000 Czech Jews to concentration camps, where 90% would die, changing the society of the region forever. Despite this, on December 4, 1938, elections were held that registered a support of 97.8% of the votes for the German National Socialist Party. About half a million ethnic Germans joined this party, representing about 17% of the population, making it the most pro-Nazi region in Germany (the average membership level in Germany was 7.85%).). Because of their knowledge of the Czech language, many Sudeten Germans were employed in the administration of the new protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as in other Nazi organizations. Most notable was Karl Hermann Frank, General of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and Police and Secretary of State in the Protectorate.

Removal and resettlement

After the Second World War in Europe, the Potsdam Conference in 1945 determined the deportation of the Sudeten German population, who had returned to Czechoslovakia, which meant the forced migration of the majority of this population. Czech legislation provided some cover for Germans who demonstrated anti-Nazi affiliation, animosity against Germany meant that it was disregarded in most cases and only a fraction of Germans were allowed to stay in Czechoslovakia, many of whom emigrated. later to the Federal Republic of Germany. There were numerous abuses and acts of violence against the German population, such as the Brno Death March ("Brünner Todesmarsch", && &&&&&&&&020000.&&&&&020,000 inhabitants of Brno to Austria at the end of May 1945). Numerous deaths occurred in connection with the expulsions, not only murders, but also deaths from disease and other violent deaths, as well as an unknown number of disappearances.

The property of almost all Sudeten Germans was confiscated as war reparations under the Beneš decrees. An estimated 1.3 million ethnic Germans were deported to the US occupation zone (in what would become West Germany), and &&&&& &&&&0800000.&&&&&0800,000 to the Soviet zone (in what would become East Germany). These deportees included not only Germans, but also members of mixed families and renegades. The region was repopulated with Czechs and other Czech minorities: Slovaks, Volhynian Czechs, Gypsies and Hungarians (although the latter were forced to settle and later returned to their places of origin). Many areas remained unpopulated for various reasons (extensive mining, military zones, etc.) or due to the lack of attractions. In these areas, small German minorities remained in the immediate area of the western border.

Currently

The issue of Sudeten Germans received attention from Czech politicians in the 1990s in the context of the European Union (EU) membership bid, as the candidate countries had to resolve their ethnic disputes within its borders and also to clarify its relations with the EU Member States. In this case, the Sudeten German organizations and some Austrian politicians were the ones who made the most demands on compensation and the return of confiscated properties. These claims were the basis for the initial non-acceptance of the Czechs into the EU.

The Sudetenland is internationally recognized as an integral part of the Czech territory. In 2001, only a few &&&&&&&&&&040000.&&&&&040,000 ethnic Germans in the Czech Republic. The German minority is virtually non-existent, and even Germany recognizes Czech sovereignty over the region. However, successive German governments and the descendants of Sudeten Germans have been demanding uninterruptedly since 1945 the payment of compensation by the Czech state for the expulsion of Germans from the region.

The areas of the Czech Republic that previously formed the Sudetenland are — after 70 years since the Second World War — the least developed, the poorest and the least educated.