interpretations: APPEASEMENT

Question 1

when was the popular majority view?

Answer 1

1937-8

Question 2

what was the popular majority view?

Answer 2

Chamberlain was a hero and his actions had prevented war

Question 3

how many letters of support did Chamberlain receive (pop majority view)

Answer 3

40,000

Question 4

did the USA support appeasement?

Answer 4

yes. the US ambassador to britain was also a strong supporter of Chamberlain’s policies

Question 5

why was the popular majority view fair?

Answer 5

britain didn’t go to war in 1938

Question 6

give 2 examples of why the popular majority view was unfair

Answer 6

• March 1939, the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia

- Germany attacks poland

Question 7

which people disagreed with the popular majority view?

Answer 7

• Churchill

- David Lowe (cartoonist)

Question 8

why did the popular majority view develop?

Answer 8

• people were haunted by the memory of WW1

- British people were not united about war over Czechoslovakia and a democracy needs the people’s support to go to war

Question 9

was the guilty men view widely accepted?

Answer 9

yes, it was a popular and political view

Question 10

when was the guilty men interpretation?

Answer 10

1939-1948

Question 11

what was the guilty men view?

Answer 11

appeasement was a foolish, cowardly and immoral policy that strengthened dictators and weakened britain.

Question 12

who was the Guilty Men book written by and when

Answer 12

Cato in 1940

Question 13

who did the Guilty Men authors work for

Answer 13

Beaverbrook, who supported Churchill

Question 14

what happened in 1931?

Answer 14

british leaders made concessions to Japan, italy then germany. this strengthened dictators and weakened britain

Question 15

what did ignoring dictator’s plans do to britain?

Answer 15

failed to prepare britain for war, leaving it defenceless

Question 16

how were appeasers portrayed in the guilty men view?

Answer 16

as almost being in league with the dictators

Question 17

give 2 reasons why the Guilty Men interpretation was fair

Answer 17

• march 1939, the invasion of the rest of Czech
• Germany attacks poland
• Hitler, Italy and Japan all got stronger in the 1930s

Question 18

give 2 reasons why the Guilty Men interpretation was unfair

Answer 18

• there were no challenges of the Guilty Men view AT THE TIME
• since, historians (eg. Derek Dutton) have been very critical of the Guilty Men view

Question 19

Why did the guilty men view develop?

Answer 19

many felt guilty about what happened at Munich. when hitler invaded the rest of Czech, attitudes began to change. after war broke out many wanted chamberlain replaced. by may 1940 there was fear of german invasion and chamberlain resigned. Churchill became PM and Beaverbrook published Guilty Men to help him

Question 20

why did the Guilty Men view backfire on Churchill?

Answer 20

it had been conservatives who promoted appeasement. Labour used Churchill’s own condemnation of Appeasement to condemn his party.

Question 21

give examples of historians who argued the Guilty Men view

Answer 21

-‘Cato’: Michael Foot, Frank Owen and Peter Howard
-Beaverbrook
(-Churchill)