High-Ranking officials of the Third Reich
The Man Behind Hitler's Sudetenland Takeover: Konrad Henlein
15m
Konrad Henlein was one of the most influential Nazi politicians outside Germany before the Second World War. While presenting himself as a moderate advocate for the rights of the Sudeten Germans, he secretly cooperated with Adolf Hitler to weaken Czechoslovakia from within and create the political crisis that culminated in the Munich Agreement of 1938.
Explore Henlein's political career, from founding the Sudeten German Party and becoming the most influential German politician in Czechoslovakia to his secret meetings with Hitler, the Karlsbad Programme, his role in provoking the Sudeten Crisis, and his close cooperation with Nazi Germany. The episode also examines how Henlein helped pave the way for the annexation of the Sudetenland, became Gauleiter of the Reichsgau Sudetenland, implemented anti-Jewish policies, organized the Kristallnacht pogrom across the region, and governed the territory until the collapse of the Third Reich.