The Munich agreement
The Munich agreement was a settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of portions of Czechoslovakia along the country's borders mainly inhabited by German speakers, for which a new territorial designation "Sudetenland" was coined.
With war, every country is afraid. They're afraid of possibly being ambushed, becoming in dept, and many other reasons. So by remaining neutral they can sit back and not have to worry about being attacked by any country that's fighting. But that's not always the case now and days. Hope I answered your question correctly.
On two levels, then, Washington Irving profoundly influenced the American Christmas. His melding of jolly St. Nick and an English commemoration of old into a wintry celebration of nostalgia attests to the rich cultural legacy bequeathed to us by this native New Yorker..
1. to spread christianity
2. they thought that they could become wealthy