Daladier, Édouard << dah lah DYAY, ay DWAHR >> (1884-1970), as premier of France, reluctantly signed the Munich Agreement in 1938. This agreement between the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany forced Czechoslovakia to give its Sudetenland region to Nazi Germany. In return, Germany agreed not to demand additional Czechoslovak territory. Daladier approved the agreement to avoid war and maintain an alliance with the United Kingdom. But Germany broke the agreement by seizing the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. World War II began six months later when Germany invaded Poland.
Édouard Daladier was born on June 18, 1884, in Carpentras, France, and was elected its mayor in 1911. After serving with distinction in the French Army during World War I (1914-1918), Daladier was elected to the Chamber of Deputies (the French legislature). During the 1930’s, he served as the premier of France three times.
After France fell to Germany in June 1940, Daladier refused to join the new German-controlled French government. He was arrested and spent the rest of World War II as a prisoner in France and Germany. After the war, Daladier returned to politics, retiring in 1958. He died in Paris on Oct. 10, 1970.
