Czechoslovakia was the only democracy left in central Europe. It was a multi-ethnic country with the Germans as one if the ethnic minorities. All the various ethnic groups had proportional reprsentation in the Czech Parliament and legal protections. The Goebbels propaganda machine had for months been generating fictional accounts of Germans being terribly abused and mistreated by the Czechs. Gradually the charges were rachgeted up. Konrad Henlein led the Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront (Front of the Sudeten German Homeland--SH). This was actually the Sudeten NAZI Party. Hitler ordered Henlein to create incidents that Goebbels could use to twist and blow out of all proprtion to convince the German people that the Reich had to intervene to protect the Sudeten Germans. Immediately following Hitler's Nurrenberg Party Rally speech, a serious incident occured in the Sudentenland. Czech police searching a hotel for hidden weaopons were fired on by the SH. One of the SH men was killed immediately. The other managed to get away. The Czechs responded with armoured cars and motars. Another policeman was killed and eight of the 10 NAZIs in the hotel. Sudeten German mobs inflamed by Hitler's speech and Henlein's agitation poured into the streets. Czech authorities declared martial law. By nightfall 21 rioters had been killed and Henlein fled to Germany for prorection. Goebbels had the German press go into overdrive. Banner Heallines in bold print screamed out at German newspaper readers throughout the Reich condemning the Czechs as guilty if all kinds of lurid crimes. Along with reports on the incedent were many other reports on the Czechs abusing the Sudeten Germans. It was clear that a German invasion was imminent. Of course German and French diplomats reported all of this to their foreign ministries and the internatiional press reported in detail.
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