<span>The Sudetenland contained 3.5 million Germans who had been cut off from the rest of Germany after the creation of Czechoslovakia by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler felt he had a legitimate claim upon the area because he saw it as German land. Also, Sudeten Germans claimed they were victimized by the Czech government and wanted home rule or union with Germany. Britain was reluctant to involve herself because she had inadequate armed forces to do so and had no treaty obligations to Czechoslovakia. After the Bad Godesberg and Munich conferences the four main European powers (Britain, France, Italy and Germany) decided, without the presence of the Czech leader, to give the Sudetenland to Hitler over a ten day period. The Czechs had little alternative but to agree to Hitler's demands, as they had few allies and a weak army. (However they did have an alliance with France which they failed to honor) By the 1st of October 1938 the Sudetenland had been fully surrendered to Hitler.</span>
