Appeasement And The Road To War #17: Britain’s Policy Of Appeasement Flashcards
What were the 8 main reasons that Britain followed a policy of appeasement?
- “Versailles Guilt”
- Failure of the LoN
- Widespread Pacifism
- Economic Weakness
- Military Weakness
- Lack of support from the dominions
- Lack of reliable allies
- Greater fear of communism
Why did “Versailles Guilt” lead to Britain appeasing?
- Brits saw it as excessively cruel, imposing such terms as Article 231 (the War Guilt Clause) and territorial losses such as the creation of the Polish Corridor
- German action was therefore justifiable by many as a rejection of the ToV was deemed acceptable
Why did “Failure of the League of Nations” lead to Britain appeasing?
- After the League failed to help the member state Abyssinia when they were invaded in 1935 (Italy was faced with ineffective sanctions), collective security was deemed dead
- Britain then realised they would not be supported at war
Why did “Widespread Pacifism” lead to Britain appeasing?
- 11million Brits signed the 1935 peace ballot which advocated for international disarmament and proved the pacifist mood inside Britain
- To stay liked and in power, politicians followed pacifism to prevent war and keep the public happy
Why did “Economic Weakness” lead to Britain appeasing?
- The Jarrow Jobless March of Oct 1936 where 200 men walked to London to present a petition against unemployment showed that the govt were worried by economic problems in the 1930s
- A pacifist public would want spending on welfare, not warfare
Why did “Military Weakness” lead to Britain appeasing?
- Military expenditure had decreased from £692mil in 1919/20 to £185mil in March 1936
- Britain would not be able to afford the resources and materials necessary for their military to be prepared for war
Why did “Lack of suppport from the Dominions” lead to Britain appeasing?
- In 1937 self governing nations withdrew their automatic support of Britain in the case of a general European war
- Britain were lacking essential diplomatic and military support from these large countries
Why did “Lack of reliable allies” lead to Britain appeasing?
- France’s Maginot Mentality meant they were defensively minded and preferred to stay behind the safety of the heavily fortified Maginot Line, and the USA’s policy of isolationism meant that they would not get involved in European affairs
- Britain lacked essential diplomatic and military support from these large countries
Why did a “Great Fear of Coumminism” lead to Britain appeasing?
- Chamberlain had “the most profound distrust of Russia” in March 1936
- Many believed that a strong Germany was needed to stop the spread of Communist ideas into the west which posed more of a threat to the industrialist, businessman, and householder than fascism did
In what 5 ways was Britain’s policy of appeasement a success?
- It prevented the outbreak of war multiple times
- Britain needed to buy time
- Britain was in a stronger position to fight in 1939
- Germany deserved a fair deal
- Greater fear of communism
How did the “prevention of the outbreak of war” lead to appeasement being a success?
- Britain chose not to intervene in Anschluss as Germans were uniting with their own people
- Maintained a good Anglo-German relationship + prevented war
How did “Britain needing to buy time” lead to appeasement being a success?
- Chief of the General Imperial Staff: “Our defences are so bad that we should go to any length to put off the struggle”
- Britain needed more time to rearm to stand a chance at war
How did “Britain was in a stronger position to fight in 1939” lead to appeasement being a success?
- They had 20 more fighter squadrons in 1939 that 1938, and were producing 660 aircraft per month compared to 240 per month in 1938
- By avoiding war, they built up resources well
How did “the fear of Communism” lead to appeasement being a success?
- Chamberlain: “Most profound distrust of Russia” (March 36)
- Needed a happy stronger Hitler to defeat communism and prevent its spread into Britain. Communism was feared more than Hitler.
How did “Germany needed a fair deal” lead to appeasement being a success?
- Harsh ToV and principal of national self-determination was not applied to them (e.g occupation of the Ruhr in 1923) so they lost large plots of land
- They should be allowed to rearm and rebuild
