William R. Rock

Essay and Reflection: The Munich Crisis Revisited

look back on the events surrounding the Munich Conference of 1938 from the perspective of half a century, broader issues . inform our thinking even as the old controversies continue. This essay is designed to suggest briefly three approaches to the dramatic events of those anxious September days and the developments that preceded and followed them : first, some comments on recent new information on the events themselves; second, a suggested placement of the Munich settlement into the development of the European state system ; and third, a comparison of the crisis with another international crisis which at one point seemed likely to lead to a great war but was then resolved, though with a very different sequel.