1 October 1938: Chamberlain declares 'Peace for our time' on return from Munich

While the country rejoiced that prime minister Neville Chamberlain had rescued Europe with the Munich Agreement, allowing Hitler to annex the Sudetenland, the Guardian thought the piece of paper he waved on his return to the UK almost worthless. ‘No one in this country who examines carefully the terms under which Hitler’s troops begin their march into Czechoslovakia today can feel other than unhappy,’ said an editorial on 1 October 1938. ‘Certainly the Czechs will hardly appreciate Mr Chamberlain’s phrase that it is “peace with honour.” Politically Czechoslovakia is rendered helpless, with all that that means to the balance of forces in eastern Europe, and Hitler will be able to advance again, when he chooses, with greatly increased power.’ Click to read the full leader.