How did the failure of Appeasement lead to WW2? Flashcards
Why was British PM, Chamberlain, following a policy of appeasement with Hitler?
1) Britain remembered the horrors of WW1 and wanted peace.
2) The British armed forces weren’t ready for another world war.
3) The British feared communism and thought Hitler would be a strong barrier against communist USSR.
However:
1) Hitler’s demands increased as time went on.
2) Some politicians warned the dangers of an appeasement. Churchill said a rearmed Germany was a threat.
3) Hitler proved he couldn’t be trusted to keep his promises.
What did Chamberlain negotiate with Hitler in September 1938?
Hitler invited Chamberlain, Daladier and Mussolini to a conference in Munich, where the Munich Agreement was signed. It agreed that the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia would given to Hitler and Hitler wouldn’t invade the rest of Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovakians weren’t even aware or consulted about their own future and had become exposed to a possible German invasion.
How did the appeasement fail?
1) In March 1939, Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia despite its guarantees in the Munich Agreement.
2) Hitler had also taken non-German lands, which meant many countries were at risk of German invasion.
3) Britain and France did nothing but in April 1939, they made an agreement with Poland that they will support it if Hitler invaded.
