The conference was called in response to rising tensions and territorial demands by Germany, which sought to annex the Sudetenland based on the principle of self-determination and the protection of ethnic German minorities. The participants of the conference agreed to the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland without military conflict. The agreement was seen as a way to appease Hitler and prevent war, but it ultimately failed to resolve the underlying tensions and set the stage for further German aggression in the region.
The Munich conference is often criticized for its appeasement policy and the failure of the participating nations to stand up to Hitler's demands. It has been argued that the agreement emboldened Hitler and contributed to the outbreak of World War II, which began the following year with Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939.