An overview of Appeasement

Reasons for Appeasement

• The psychological impact of WW1

• Sympathy in Britain that the TofV had been too harsh

• Unsure whether Fascism or Communism posed the bigger danger

• Britain wouldn’t have American support; nor could it rely on support from its Empire/Commonwealth

• The British economy was recovering from the Great Depression

• Britain needed time to rearm and prepare for war

Rearmament – The TofV had left Germany unable to defend itself

                             A strong Germany would be a buffer against the Soviet Union

                             Better to allow Germany to rearm through agreements

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland – It was German territory

                                                                   France had the Maginot Line

                                                                   France over-estimated German strength

The Spanish Civil War – Britain feared an escalation and a general European war

Anschluss – Self-determination: Why shouldn’t two countries that wanted to join together do so?

The Sudetenland – Fear of war, particularly France

The reasons: good or bad?

• There are all the reasons above

• WW2 was always going to be a devastating war

• Britain and France were democracies – people had to be convinced

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• It was naïve to trust Hitler

• Hitler had made his intentions clear and public

• each step gave Hitler more confidence and put him in a stronger position

• Czechoslovakia could have been defended

Consequences

• Hitler and Germany were stronger

• Hitler was more confident

• Germany had been given more time to prepare for war

• The Nazi-Soviet Pact

• Poland could not be helped