The LON was weak (having proven to be ineffective in solving disputes)and so was Britain's army, therefore this would not have been enough to intimidate Hitler into backing down. While many thought it wasn't the best policy for England at the time, it gave 6 months of peace before rearming.Over all, it wasn't the right policy at the time because, everyone tried to control the peace, but it all depends on how others. Was appeasement the right policy for England in 1938? It also gave them time to bring up their economy which was needed during a war. British politicians were so paranoid about war that they forgot to defend their own country's interests. Under British pressure, appeasement of Nazism and Fascism also played a role in French foreign policy of the period but was always much less popular there than in the United Kingdom. If they had been more aggresive against Hitler, they would have prevented war. Although, we now know that in hindsight, it was perhaps a bad move as it egged on Hitler to persue a much more aggressive policy, at the time it was the correct choice. Earlier, in April 1935, Italy had joined Britain and France in protest against German rearmament. Taylor argued that Hitler did not have a blueprint for war and behaved much as any other German leader might have. [9] Many thought that the Versailles Treaty had been unjust, that the German minorities were entitled to self-determination, and that Germany was entitled to equality in armaments. U.S. President Harry S. Truman thus explained his decision to enter the Korean War in 1950, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden in his confrontation of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the Suez Crisis of 1956, U.S. President John F. Kennedy his "quarantine" of Cuba in 1962, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in his resistance to communism in Indochina in the 1960s, U.S. President Ronald Reagan in his his air strike on Libya in 1986, and U.S. President Donald Trump in the drone strike that led to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020. and reinterpreted these events. Taylor said that appeasement ought to be seen as a rational response to an unpredictable leader that both diplomatically and politically appropriate to the time. Before Munich, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had sent a telegram to Chamberlain that said "Good man" and he later told the American ambassador in Rome, William Phillips, "I am not a bit upset over the final result".[20]. Her book was a spirited defence of the Czech nation and a detailed criticism of British policy and confronted the need for war if necessary. Please make reference to at least three of the primary source documents in your essay. Was Appeasement the Right Policy for England in 1938? Appeasement was a policy, that first started developing in the 1920s, coined by Britain and later used by France of avoiding war with aggressive powers such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, by giving way to their demands (unless they were too unreasonable) However, appeasement was not mainly justified because of the . This would have stopped Hitler cold and WWII would have been prevented. He criticised revisionist historians for concentrating on Chamberlain's motivations, rather than how appeasement worked in practice, as a "usable policy" to deal with Hitler. The British people were unwilling to go to war, but that could be easily changed if the media and propaganda started portraying Hitler as an aggressive person trying to take over Europe. On 22 September, Chamberlain flew to Bad Godesberg for his second meeting with Hitler and said that he was willing to accept the cession of the Sudetenland to Germany. Rumours had reached the Lithuanian government to the effect that Germany had specific plans to take over Klaipda. Did the appeasement policy of Britain France and the United States have the intended effect? Slovakia separated and created under a puppet government of Germany. On 12 March 1939, Foreign Minister Juosas Urbys represented Lithuania at the coronation of Pope Pius XII in Rome. Appeasement was justified as going to war was the last resort for countries. The United States reminded them of their duty under the KelloggBriand Pact to settle matters peacefully. Having the time to rearm, there may be less casualties resulting from WW2 as compared to having no time to rearm at all. But the time frame now is 1938, where Britain had not done much to stop Hitler. ", Finney, Patrick. Even though Chamberlain had helped Hitler in his expansionist policy, it gave the other countries the time to rearm and expand their military capabilities. Germany pursued the narrative that they were fighting against communism when they aid the Spanish Nationalist Forces. On 26 September, Hitler made a speech at the Sportpalast in Berlin in which he claimed that the Sudetenland was "the last territorial demand I have to make in Europe",[18] and he gave Czechoslovakia an ultimatum of 28 September at 2:00pm to cede the territory to Germany or to face war. When asked for details, he did not reply. Therefore they also needed time to rally the support of the People. Berchtesgaden, 22nd September 1938 in Godesburg, and 29th September Appeasement was not the right policy for Britain, because it did give Britain some time to rearm and strengthen themselves, however appeasement was what caused World War 2, which put many others in danger. What impact did the appeasement policy of the United States, Britain, and France have on Germany aggression? Was Appeasement the Right Policy for England in 1938? In this circumstance, if the British had also put in more effort to convince the French to resist the Nazi regime, Hitler would not have prevailed. It isn't just a cut and dry do it or don't. When Chamberlain received the news, he dismissed it out of hand. Vernon Bartlett, a critic of the Munich Agreement and member of Parliament, happened to be acting as a reporter in Godesberg, Germany when Chamberlain had met with Hitler. 2.Round 1: Take out Documents A and B, Guiding Questions, and Hypotheses Sheet. 2. Germany escalated the dispute, with the country's press carrying stories of alleged atrocities against Sudeten Germans, and Hitler ordering 750,000 troops to the Czechoslovak border. The people are sick of war, if Britain is to jump straight into war and without appeasement, Britain will lose the majority of the support from the British. It was a disaster. He wrote in Mein Kampf (1924) that he would attempt a union of his birth country Austria with Germany by any means possible and by force if necessary. [citation needed], Many historians argue that the British policy of non-intervention was a product of the Establishment's anti-communist stance. [67] The BBC radio producers continued to censor news of persecution of Jews even after the war broken out, as Chamberlain still held out hopes of a quick armistice and did not want to inflame the atmosphere. The crisis in the British global position by this time was such that it was, in the last resort, insoluble, in the sense that there was no good or proper solution". [21], In effect, the British and French had by the Munich negotiations pressured their ally of Czechoslovakia to cede part of its territory to a hostile neighbour in order to preserve peace. Based on the information provided by this map, how did adopting the policy of appeasement at the Munich Conference in September 1938 change Europe? On September 3, 1939, Great Britain and France. Members of the League were entitled to the assistance of other members if they came under attack. "Appeasement" had been a respectable term between 1919 and 1937 to signify the pursuit of peace. This is true to a certain extent whereby many saw Hitler as a solution against communist through his actions such as persecuting them and making the communist the scapegoat. This also means that by just merely challenging Hitler, Britain would have an advantage over Germany to win the war. One of the first dissents to the prevailing criticism of appeasement was made by John F. Kennedy in his 1940 Harvard College thesis, Why England Slept, in which he argued that appeasement had been necessary because the United Kingdom and France were unprepared for a world war.[76][77]. How did the appeasement policy lead to WW2? Chamberlain used discussion here with Hitler to Barros, Andrew, Talbot C. Imlay, Evan Resnick, Norrin M. Ripsman, and Jack S. Levy. Appeasement was not necessary in the first place, as Britain could challenge Hitler immediately at that time and Hitler will be forced to back down because he has to keep his promise of not starting a war that early, or he will start a war with far less support behind him, and Britain could have easily won. Italy demanded apologies and compensation from Abyssinia, which appealed to the League, with Emperor Haile Selassie famously appealing in person to the assembly in Geneva. On 30 September, on his return to Britain, Chamberlain delivered his famous "peace for our time" speech to delighted crowds. [37] Many believed after the First World War that wars were started by mistake, in which case the League of Nations could prevent them; or that they were caused by large-scale armaments, in which case disarmament was the remedy; or that they were caused by national grievances, in which case the grievances should be redressed peacefully. [5] He confidently announced after Munich that he had secured "peace for our time".[6]. [22] The event forms the main part of what became known as Munich betrayal (Czech: Mnichovsk zrada) in Czechoslovakia and the rest of Eastern Europe,[27] as the Czechoslovak view was that Britain and France had pressured it to cede territory to prevent a major war, which would involve Western Europe. Knew the appeasement policy was in ruins as Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia Thought appeasement wasn't the right policy as they only got 6 months of peace Against Doc D Doc B Elected to Parliament in 1938 Opposition to appeasement Worked as a reporter in Godesberg, Germany when Chamberlain and Hitler met Against Doc C "Introduction: Appeasement: Rethinking the Policy and the Policy-Makers. [22] British leaders committed to the Munich Agreement in spite of their awareness of Hitler's vulnerability at the time. Students also viewed Schuschnigg complied and appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a pro-Nazi lawyer, as interior minister. The crowds that applauded Chamberlain as he drove along the Rhine consisted not so much of ardent nationalists, delighted that a foreign statesman had come to make obeisance to their Fuehrer, as of ordinary human beings who wanted to be kept out of warI am firmly convinced that, had Chamberlain stood firm at Godesberg, Hitler would either have climbed down or would have begun war with far less support from his people than he had a year later. To make their presence more evident, the Munich Agreement would be the best diplomatic solution forward, agree? The governing Conservative Party sought to maintain its position in Parliament but faced challenges from public opinion about . ", Hughes, R. Gerald. Was Appeasement the Right Policy for England? "The study of appeasement in international relations: Polemics, paradigms, and problems. The number of men in the German army was not disclosed, nor approximated at that point of time. [13] Even the strongest voices against annexation, particularly those of Fascist Italy, France and Britain (the "Stresa Front"), were not backed by force. His criticism of Hitler began from the start of the decade, but Churchill was slow to attack fascism overall because of his own vitriolic opposition to communists, "international Jews" and socialism generally. [32] The Soviets supported Lithuania in principle but did not wish to disrupt their relations with Germany since they were contemplating the German-Soviet Pact. avoid war. [88][77], During the Cold War, the "lessons" of appeasement were cited by prominent conservative allies of Reagan, who urged him to be assertive in "rolling back" Soviet-backed regimes throughout the world. He could not go to war without the support of the people and until 1939 most people wanted peace, almost at any price. And it usually takes agreement among many on what the plan of action will be. France was anxious to placate Mussolini to keep him away from an alliance with Germany. [28], By August 1939, Hitler was convinced that the democratic nations would never put up any effective opposition to him. Even though not substantial, the small increments helped the British war effort in a significant way as the government had more resources at their disposal. France consulted Britain and lodged protests with the League but took no action. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler in Munich, The Munich Agreement became synonymous with the policy of, On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, which initiated, On September 3, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on, Orme) Wilberforce (Albert) Raymond Blackburn (Alexander Bell, The Appeal of Fascism to the British Aristocracy During the Inter-War Years, 1919-1939, The Career of Lola Montez in the American Theatre, In the Simplistic and Sometimes Pernicious Categorisations Which Have So Often Been Applied to the Political Personalities of Th, Introduction 1 Women in the Political Background, A Union of Circumstance: Chamberlain and Hitler, 1 Randolph Churchill and the Wavertree By-Election, February 1935, Transition and Memory; London Society from the Lata Nineteenth Century Ta the Nineteen Tbirties, British Conservatism, 1945-1951: Adapting to the Age of Collectivism. Dimuccio, R.A.B., "The Study of Appeasement in International Relations: Polemics, Paradigms, and Problems". "[40], Most Conservative MPs were also in favour, but Churchill said that their supporters were divided and in 1936 led a delegation of leading Conservative politicians to express to Baldwin their alarm about the speed of German rearmament and the fact that Britain was falling behind. Ideology and british appeasement in the 1930s. Almost no country was able to afford to go to war at that point of time as they were rebuilding their infrastructure and economy which fell after The Great Depression and WW1. Answer Guiding Questions. Although the Allies had prohibited the union of Austria and Germany, their reaction to the Anschluss was mild. The book and Churchill's authority confirmed the orthodox view. Hitler, an Austrian by birth, had been a pan-German from a very young age and had promoted a Pan-German vision of a Greater Germanic Reich from the beginning of his career in politics. "Debating British Decision-making toward Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Scott Ramsay (2019) instead argues that Britain demonstrated "benevolent neutrality" and was simply hedging its bets by avoiding the favouring of one side or the other. No masters, no men of action. Our enemies are small fry. remilitarized the Rhineland, annexed Austria, and in September 1938, Hitler demanded that Czechoslovakia give Germany the Sudetenland, a. region with a heavy ethnic-German population. The book defined appeasement as the "deliberate surrender of small nations in the face of Hitler's blatant bullying". Albania, Austria and Hungary refused to apply sanctions, and Germany and the United States were not in the League. [14] The American reaction was similar. Appeasement also allowed the British to rearm and not be pulled into an unnecessary war. Scientific Revolution and the Enlghtenment, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1976-063-32,_Bad_Godesberg,_M%C3%BCnchener_Abkommen,_Vorbereitung.jpg, https://www.flickr.com/photos/48868038@N02/6091904837, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_foreign_policy_of_the_Neville_Chamberlain_government, https://www.boundless.com/world-history/concepts/the-united-kingdom-and-appeasement-0-17946/. Peter Jackson, 'La perception de la puissance arienne allemande et son influence sur la politique extrieure franaise pendant les crises internationales de 1938 1939', Teddy J. Uldricks, "Russian Historians Reevaluate the Origins of World War II,". October 1938. Answer the question above in essay form, with a minimum of 200 words. 8, August 2009, "Twilight of Truth: Chamberlain, Appeasement and The Manipulation of the Press | Richard Cockett", "A quietening effect? In December 1934, there was a clash between Royal Italian Army and Imperial Ethiopian Army troops at Walwal, near the border between British and Italian Somaliland, in which Italian troops took possession of the disputed territory, and about 150 Abyssinians and 50 Italians were killed. Germany accepted that arrangement under the Locarno Treaties of 1925. The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed nations at war to buy arms and other supplies from the United States as long as those nations sent aid the Great Britain. question: Was appeasement the right policy for England in 1938? Answer Guiding Questions. 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