The Munich Agreement of 1938 was a key episode towards the outbreak of World War II. How and why did exemplary democracies Great Britain and France come to an agreement with the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy and sacrifice the union state of Czechoslovakia? What results did the “imperial snobs” expect and what results did they get? Why did the main Westernizer of Czechoslovakia, President Edvard Benes, remain a stranger to the West? What could and did the USSR do in a situation when a big war was brewing, and one of its ally betrayed the other? How was the baton of national swagger passed from old empires to new ones? The Munich Agreement taught difficult lessons to Europe and the whole world: to learn them or repeat old mistakes - this is the choice facing politicians and societies today. The book is intended for a wide range of readers interested in the history of Europe and the Second World War.