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Originally Posted by Bravo104
I might be mistaken, but isn't it so that Hitler needed the natural resources of Czechoslovakia to go to war? So, if Chamberlain......
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Hitting very close to the bullseye here. While the natural resources and industry of Czechoslovakia were very good to have the financial resources were critical for Germany in 1939-40. The nazis had been busy cooking the books to hide their serious deficit spending. The hijacking of the Austrian government treasury and banks had bought another year or so, but had Germany not accquired Cezch financial reserves and credit it is likely a collapse of Germanys banks and government finances would occur sometime in 1939 or 1940. In the short term Gobbels propaganda could blame this on the evil British or French & their Jewish bankers, emergency measures could be taken, and if war had started then draconian rationing and controls over finances in Germany might be taken. But, in the longer run German would be be witout the cash or credit of any sort to pay for anything from the nuetrals. To a limited extent direct exchange of goods could pay for some items, but if Germany is at war then large scale parting with machine tools or the other usual exports inteferes with German war production. This barter system was used to obtain resources from the USSR in late 1940 - to mid 1941 and its was a strain. It also allowed the USSR to demand machine tools usefull for its own armament industry & it was not as if the nazis had a any negotiating position.
Brtian & France were not in the best finacial position either in 1938, but they appear of model of finacial managment compared to the nazi government
I think it would have taken Germany a few years longer to be ready for war. The rest of the world would have been further involved in de-arming and there would have been nothing left to fight with.
It's been said once that if Hitler would have had the patience and waited until 1942 the german army's would have had a 'walk in the park'.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bravo104
So, if Chamberlain would not have given in, the outcome would surely have been different. The invasion of England would have taken place and that would have been the end for the rest of Europe and the world.
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Yes the outcome is very different. Germanys banks start going belly up in 1939 as the fabric of financial decit comes apart. As payments are delayed raw material imports slow, forigen banks increase pressure of prompt payment, German government securities begain collapsing. At some point nazi propaganda and BS are discredited. The financial collapse of the Weinmar government was a fresh memory, only fourteen years old. A banking panic and abrupt monetary inflation are quite possible before the end of 1939 and probable in 1940.
Were war with the Allies perciptated in 1938, or over Poland in 1939, then the financial problems could be masked temporarily, but in the long run of a couple years German industry is short raw materials of all sorts as imports through the nuetrals cease. And, I am thinking such imports cease sooner rather than later.
In short Cezchoslovakias wealth was critical for the development of the nazi ability to prepare for war. Without it is probable things fall apart fairly quickly.