reasons for Britain and France adopting a Policy of Appeasement / how was Hitler able to pursue his aggressive policies Flashcards
factors affecting Britain's and France's Decision Making in 1930s
reasons
- US Isolationism
- Sympathy for Germany
- National Interest
- Misjudgement of Hitler
- Fear of Another Major War
US Isolationism
- after WWI, US adopted a policy of isolationism in the 1920s and 1930s
- it did not want to get involved in European affairs because of the loss of human lives it had suffered as a result of war
- moreover, th US Neutrality Act was passed by Congress in 1935, which prohibits the export of arms to foreign states and involvement in wars
- thus , help from US against Hitler was not an option
explanation (feelings+ outcome)
this led to the pursuit of the policy of appeasement as :
- a logical option to placate Hitler to prevent another major war
- Britain and France knew it could not rely on a superpower to thumb down Hitler if he pursued aggression
- Hitler will be emboldened to pursue aggression knowing that the world’s most powerful nation will not intervene in its expansionist ambitions
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as such, US isolationism influenced Britain and France’s decision-making, choosing not to intervene and instead appease Hitler in his expansionist ambitions
sympathy for Germany
- there was much criticism of TOV in Europe as it was overly harsh on Germany
- when Hitler reclaimed the Saar (1935) and the militarisation of Rhineland (1936), few spoke up against his actions despite being a violation of TOV
- politicians were aware of the sympathy that the people had for Germany
explanation (feelings + outcome)
this led to the pursuit of the policy of appeasement as :
- people around Europe felt that it was fair for Hitler to argue that Germany was being unfairly treated if it had to disarm while other countries did not
- British leaders felt that Hitler’s demands were reasonable
- decided to give in by not stopping his expansionist actions
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as such, sympathy for Germany influenced Britain and France’s decision-making, choosing to appease Hitler in his expansionist ambitions
National Interest (differing povs on USSR)
both Britain and France prioritised their own interests :
Britain’s Interest
- in the 1930s, the British were more worried about Stalin and the USSR than Hitler
- they saw Germany as a barrier against USSR
- eg Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935) with Germany was signed
- allowed Germany to build a navy up to 35% of the size of the British navy
- this broke the terms of TOV
France’s Interest
- France was more worried about Hitler than Stalin, as France and Germany shared a border
- since the British would not formalise an alliance with France, they turned to USSR and signed the Treaty of Mutual Assistance (1936)
explanation (feelings + outcome)
this led to the pursuit of the policy of appeasement as :
Britain’s Interest
- by appeasing Hitler, Britain hoped to win Germany over as an ally against communism (a practical option to get Germany’s cooperation against USSR)
- hence an agreement was made to allow Germany to formally rearm to serve as a buffer against USSR
France’s Interest
- France’s actions of seeking to ally USSR alarmed the British as they were worried about the spread of communism
- created more sympathy for Germany
- the Nazis were able to remilitarise Rhineland with little opposition
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as such, due to Britain and France’s own interest, it led to the pursuit of appeasement to gain an ally in communism
Misjudgement of Hitler
- the British and French politicans could neither comphrehend the real threat that Hitler and his ideology posed (did not read Mein Kampf or take it seriously) nor forsee the future events
- Chamberlain believed that Hitler was a reasonable man who could be trusted
- Britain sympathised with Germany as it felt that TOV was unfair, and that Germans should be able to unite if they wanted to
- Lord Halifax (British Foreign Secretary) suggested to Hitler before Anschluss that he would not oppose him
explanation (feelings + outcome)
this led to the pursuit of the policy of appeasement as :
- both Hitler and France saw Hitler as a person they could trust
- as Britain felt that TOV was overly harsh, Chamberlain was willing to make concessions and appease Hitler
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as such, misjudgement of Hitler led to the pursuit of appeasement as they decided to give in to Hitler’s demands
Fear of Another Major War
- WWI resulted in tremendous losses and devastation
- public sentiments in Britain and France strongly showed their refusal to be a part of another war
- British PM Chamberlain wanted to avoid war as he had seen the horrors of WWI, and knew both the public and military were not prepared for another war
- eg in the Munich Agreement (1938) which gave Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia to Germany
- done instead of pursuing aggression to stop Hitler
explanation (feelings + outcome)
this led to the pursuit of the policy of appeasement as :
- it seemed to be the most practical option for both countries instead of standing up to Hitler, risking a war and repeating the horrors of WWI again