Sudeten German Party

The Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei; SdP) was a political party in Czechoslovakia that emerged in response to the Great Depression's severe impact on the industrialized, German-speaking Sudetenland. Led by Konrad Henlein, the party initially professed loyalty to democracy but advocated for the autonomy of the German minority. In the 1935 parliamentary elections, the SdP gained significant support, becoming the second-largest party in the Czechoslovak Parliament.123

The party exploited economic grievances and ethnic discrimination, ultimately aiming to unite the Sudetenland with Germany. This agitation contributed to the international crisis that led to the Munich Agreement in 1938, where Czechoslovakia was compelled to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. After World War II, the Sudetenland was returned to Czechoslovakia, and most of its German inhabitants were expelled.31