the nationality of all inhabitants of the czech provinces and ...

Chapter IV
THE “SECOND REPUBLIC”
The success at Munich of Hitler’s
Germany vis-à-vis the Czechs and the
Czechoslovak Republic meant the defeat
and utter destruction of the entire idea of
a Czechoslovak state, particularly as
conceived by Masaryk. The outward sign
of this was the occupation of a large
portion, namely, about one third of the
national territory, specifically in the
Czech provinces, where the Germans
The fate of Czechoslovakia was decided by the leaders of the European powers in
Munich at the end of September 1938 without inviting that country to send
representatives.The governments of France, Britain and Italy
accepted all of Hitler’s demands.
“annexed” (in contemporary parlance)
about 28,000 square kilometres with a
total of 600-700 thousand Czechs.
Along with that went the loss of
fortifications, the cutting of the main rail
and road links to Slovakia, and even
from Bohemia to Moravia, the forced
exodus or actual expulsion of some 160-
170 thousand Czechs, Jews and also
Sudeten German democrats from their
homes into the hinterland with only
their hastily assembled, essential
belongings.
But that was not the sole issue. Under
strong German pressure, the
Czechoslovak state started to collapse.
On October 5, 1938, Edvard Beneš
informed the Prime Minister, General
The Break up of Czechoslovakia and the Genesis
of the Transfer
116
Syrový, that he was resigning from the
office of President, to which he had been
elected on December 18, 1935. (On that
occasion, he had received 340 of the
votes cast; Bohumil Němec had received
24, 76 were blank and one was spoilt.)
On October 27, 1938, the Permanent
Committee of the National Assembly
adopted a measure cancelling the
mandate of certain members of the
National Assembly (No. 253/1938 Coll.).
In accordance with that measure,
members of the National Assembly
claiming nationality other than Czech,
Slovak or Russian (Ruthenian) and on
September 18, 1938 were not domiciled
on territory of the Czechoslovak
Republic that was not under foreign
occupation, or who left that territory
after September 18, lost their mandate.
As was stated in the subsequent clauses,
deputies representing territories under
foreign occupation were also deprived of
their mandate. This represented 69
deputies and 33 senators. There was no
legal basis for it, however! It is true that
when the parliament was not in session,
the Permanent Committee could take
emergency measures in cases stipulated