Appeasement

England footballers give the Nazi salute before a match in Germany in 1938 - a picture from German photograph archives.

Why Appeasement?

You have only to look at the map to see that nothing we could do could possibly save Czechoslovakia from being overrun by the Germans.

Chamberlain, writing to his sister in 1938.

'Appeasement' means 'giving in to a bully'. Nowadays, many people criticise Chamberlain for appeasing Hitler.

There were many reasons why Britain 'appeased' Hitler in the 1930s. Historians have ascribed every possible motive to Chamberlain - sheer abject cowardice, that he was duped by Hitler, that it was a noble attempt to prevent bloodshed, that he was buying time for Britain to re-arm... and many others!

The five most important reasons, however, were:

	Some British people approved of Hitler's policies.
	The British people hoped that a strong Germany would stop the growth of Communist Russia.
	Many people felt that events in Europe were not Britain's business.
	Many British people wanted peace.
	Many British people agreed with Hitler that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair.

To see a full list of 19 possible reasons, click here.

Links

Basic account

radio news

- Giles Hill's podcast on Appeasement

What was appeasement? Describe how Britain and France ‘appeased’ Hitler 1933–1938.

BBCi ideas

19 reasons for appeasement - a full list of reasons why Britain appeased Hitler.

Who started appeasement? - was Chamberlain solely to blame?

Reasons for Appeasement - a game to help you find out what evidence there is for the different reasons for appeasement.

Extra:

Look at the five most important reasons why Britain appeased Hitler. For each, discuss with a partner WHY this might have led Chamberlain to feel that he needed to give way to Hitler's demands?

Opinions of Appeasement

Who in their right mind believes we should even try to placate the monsters responsible for the atrocities of September 11th, 2001?

Terrorists see negotiations as a sign of weakness and a lack of resolve. Though the 'peace protestors' mean well, they... are the same type of people who sought to appease Adolf Hitler.

a modern American writer on the web at http://www.9-11justice.org/ writing after the Al-Qaeda atrocity in America which destroyed the World Trade Centre, killing nearly 3000 people - after which the United States declared a 'war on terrorism'.

Links

50 statements on Appeasement

Opinions/assessments

Opponents of appeasement

Conspiracy theory

Churchill on appeasement - BBC investigation

This article suggests Harry Potter is an allegory of the Interwar period!

You can read the first 'Gr8 Appeasement Deb8' by clicking HERE.

Also, the famous author John Simkin and I recently had a vigorous debate about Chamberlain's appeasement which you can read by clicking HERE.

What do YOU think about appeasement????

To make your own contribution to this debate, have your say HERE

In the 1930s, there were some people – most notably Winston Churchill – who opposed his policy.

But at the time, most people thoroughly agreed with Chamberlain, and praised him.

Source C

A British cartoon of 1936. Hitler goose- steps across the ‘spineless leaders of democracy’.

The first 3 steps are labelled ‘Rearmament’, ‘Rhineland’ and ‘Danzig’.

Source A

Give thanks to your God. Your children are safe. Peace is a victory for all mankind. If we must have a victor, let us choose Mr Chamberlain.

The Daily Express, 1938.

Source B

It is a total defeat. Czechoslovakia will be swallowed up by the Nazis. And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning.

Churchill, speaking about the Munich Agreement in 1938.

Extra:

What is the message of the cartoon in Source C?

Source D

A British cartoon of 1938 shows Germany crushing Austria. Next in line is Czechoslovakia. At the back, Britain says to France, who is next-to-last: ‘Why should we take a stand about someone pushing someone else when it’s all so far away?’

Extra:

Study Source D. What is the meaning of the cartoon - is it really saying that Britain need not bother about German expansion because Germany is so far away from Britain?

(Essential knowledge: in 1938, Chamberlain called the Sudeten crisis: 'a quarrel in a far-away land between peoples of whom we know nothing.')

Source E

EIGHT RESULTS OF APPEASEMENT

Historians have said that appeasement:

let Hitler grow stronger.
gave Britain time to re-arm.
humiliated Britain – no country in central Europe ever trusted Britain again.
abandoned millions of people to the Nazis.
caused the war, by encouraging Hitler to think he could do anything.
gave Britain the morale high ground – when war came, Britons knew they had done everything possible to keep the peace.
would never have stopped Hitler, who was determined to go to war.
was a fine attempt to prevent the deaths of millions of people in a war.

Extra:

Using Sources A–E make a list of 'points for' and points against' the policy of appeasement. Which of Sources A–D suggest Hitler would carry on as long as people kept appeasing him?