Policy of Appeasement

Question 1

What is Appeasement?

Answer 1

Definition:
o Appeasement: A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding conflict by making
concessions to another power.
o Context: In the 1930s, European leaders, particularly Britain and France, used
appeasement in their dealings with Nazi Germany to avoid another major war.

Key Events:
o 1936: German reoccupation of the Rhineland, which violated the Treaty of Versailles.
o 1938: Anschluss (union) with Austria, again in defiance of the Versailles Treaty.
o 1938: Munich Agreement, allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.

Question 2

Key Figures

Answer 2

Neville Chamberlain:
o Position: British Prime Minister from 1937 to 1940.
o Role: Chamberlain is most associated with the policy of appeasement,
believing it would maintain peace in Europe.

Adolf Hitler:
o Position: Chancellor of Germany from 1933, later Führer.
o Role: Hitler’s aggressive expansionist policies were the primary focus of
appeasement efforts.

Question 3

Arguments For Appeasement

Answer 3

1. Avoidance of War:
   o Many people, especially in Britain and France, were traumatized by the
   horrors of World War I and were desperate to avoid another war.
   o Appeasement was seen as a way to maintain peace without resorting to
   conflict.
2. Economic Concerns:
   o The Great Depression had severely weakened economies worldwide. Leaders believed that they could not afford another war.
3. Military Unpreparedness:
   o Both Britain and France were not fully prepared for another large-scale war.
   Appeasement was seen as buying time to rearm.

Question 4

Arguments Against Appeasement

Answer 4

Encouraging Aggression:
o Critics argue that appeasement encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive, as he
believed the Allies would not stop him.

Moral Compromise:
o Appeasement was seen as morally wrong because it involved conceding to the demands of a dictator and abandoning smaller nations to their fate.

Strengthening the Enemy:
o Allowing Germany to expand and rearm made it a more formidable opponent
when war eventually broke out.
Lost Opportunities:
o Early opposition to Hitler’s moves might have been more successful and prevented further aggression.

False Sense of Security:
o Appeasement created a false sense of security, leading to underestimation of
Hitler’s ambitions and the inevitability of conflict.