In 1936, the world missed an opportunity to stop tyranny. OK, so that's an unusual way to start a letter to the editor. Let me explain.
Anyone who has studied WWII history will remember that in September 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement, which transferred the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany. There's a famous newsreel in which Chamberlain is saying, "I have here a document that assures peace in our time." Regarded as an act of appeasement, it didn't work. A year later, September 1939, Germany invaded Poland and WWII started.
Earlier in 1938, Hitler seized Austria without firing a shot. But even before that, Hitler's first land grab was in 1936. That was the year Germany marched into the Rhineland. This was a demilitarized zone along the Rhine River, bordering Luxembourg, Belgium, and The Netherlands on the west. After WWI, the region was occupied by allied troops. It was supposed to stay occupied until 1935, but in 1930, as a goodwill gesture to Germany's Wiemar Republic, the troops were withdrawn.
On Saturday, March 7, 1936, several German brigades occupied the Rhineland. At this time, the Nazi regime was only 3 years old. There were no Panzer divisions, no Luftwaffe, and troop strength was minimal. Many of the occupying troops entered on bicycles. The Allied powers did absolutely nothing in response.
It was revealed in captured documents after the war that the German military command knew that if they had been challenged, the occupation would have crumbled. In all probability, the Nazi regime would have followed.
Some historians mark the true beginning of WWII even further back to 1931, when Japan invaded the area of northeast China known as Manchuria. This, too, went unchallenged by any allied power.
Nevertheless, the point is that tyranny can be stopped when challenged. In less than a month, we have a chance to stop the tyranny that's overtaking our government and destroying our Constitution. Nov. 2, 2010 is our chance to stop further "land grabs". Nov. 2, 2010 is our 1936.
