First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was an international treaty partitioning Czechoslovakia.
History
Negotiations
Negotiations began in early October 1938. The Hungarian delegation included Teleki. The Czechoslovak representation included Tiso.
Hungary claimed lands up to, and including, Bratislava. In the Munich Agreement from one month prior, claims justified by self-reported ethnicity in the 1910 census were accepted. The Hungarian delegation used similar justifications here. The Czechoslovak delegation contested the claim with data from the 1930 census. Tiso mentioned that, in the height of Magyarization, even he was counted as Hungarian in the 1910 census. The Hungarian delegation in turn countered with data from the 1880 census, which was seen as prior to Magyarization.
Ultimately the Hungarian delegation broke off negotiations and moved for international adjudication.
Adjudication
The UK and France declined to participate; Germany and Italy organized the intervention. The Hungarian delegation was particularly successful in lobbying Ciano; they were persuaded that a stronger Hungary could counter German expansion. Ribbentrop drew a line for a proposed partition of lands.
Separately, Poland proposed a partition of Ruthenia between itself, Hungary, and Romania. Romania rejected this. The German persective was that a Polish-Hungarian border would encircle an expansionary Germany and demanded Danzig in compensation. Poland rejected this.
The Hungarian delegation rejected Ribbentrop's proposal. The Czechoslovak delegation advised the Hrad to accept it and Hitler's guarantee of it.
Negotiations turned towards binding acceptance of arbitration or a referendum.
Arbitration
Arbitration began in November at the Belvedere Palace. Similar to the adjudication, Ciano and Ribbentrop alone participated.
They quickly accepted the Hungarian claim and militarized annexation began within days.