was appeasement the right policy for england in 1938?was appeasement the right policy for england in 1938?

On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1933. Chamberlain, faced with the prospect of a German invasion, flew to Berchtesgaden on 15 September to negotiate directly with Hitler, who now demanded that Chamberlain accept not Sudeten self-government within Czechoslovakia but the absorption of the Sudeten lands into Germany. [31] Italy and Japan supported Germany in the matter, and the United Kingdom and France expressed sympathy for Lithuania but chose not to offer any material assistance and followed a well-publicized policy of appeasing Hitler. [28], By August 1939, Hitler was convinced that the democratic nations would never put up any effective opposition to him. [19], In the atmosphere of growing conflict, Mussolini persuaded Hitler to put the dispute to a four-power conference. Slovakia separated and created under a puppet government of Germany. 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. Yes, indeed Hitler did have plans to go expand. I feel that the appeasement policy of the British was not justified in 1938 because at that time, Hitler had clear plans of expanding and it was evident that Hitler wouldn't back down and slow down his aggression towards his European neighbours. 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. Our job is to examine a variety of documents and evaluate different perspectives on appeasement. The policy of appeasement became increasingly attractive after the overwhelming destruction of World War I. The Labour MP Hugh Dalton identified the policy with wealthy people in the City of London, Conservatives and members of the peerage who were soft on Hitler. It perceived decisive German air superiority and so it was pessimistic about its ability to defend Czechoslovakia in 1938. This is the strategy Britain used with Hitler, ignored or satisfying demands for territory and rearmament in the hope that one day Hitler would simply stop. 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. Ideology and british appeasement in the 1930s. Would a Europe divided among democrats, fascists, and communists, and possessing jet aircrafts, nuclear weapons, and ballistic missiles, be more inviting than that one that emerged after 1945? "Peace in Our Time: The Spirit of Munich Lives On", by Michael Johns. Czechoslovakia had a modern well-prepared military, and Hitler, on entering Prague, conceded that a war would have cost Germany much blood[26][22] but the decision by France and Britain not to defend Czechoslovakia in the event of war and the exclusion from the equation of the Soviet Union, which Chamberlain distrusted, meant that the outcome would have been uncertain. [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. "Chamberlain's worst error", says McDonough, "was to believe that he could march Hitler on the yellow brick road to peace when in reality Hitler was marching very firmly on the road to war". In 1961, the view of appeasement as avoidable error and cowardice was similarly set on its head by A.J.P. Had they realised that they needed more men, Britain would be able to turn to France for support as France supported Britain. This is supported by the fact that the British had low moral due to WW1 and did not have the spirit to start another war, the Great depression had hit and a war was expensive, and the fact that nobody in general wanted ti start another war due to the memories of the first WW. 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. That marked the beginning of many years of stark tragedy and desperate peril. [94][95] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later stated that the Trump administration's foreign policy was "trying to correct for what was the Obama administration's appeasement of Iran. If you believe that the posting of any material infringes your copyright, be sure to contact us through the contact form and your material will be removed! The lesson of Munich, in international relations, refers to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler at the Munich Conference in September 1938. In July the League abandoned sanctions. By contrast, the few who stood out against appeasement were seen as "voices in the wilderness whose wise counsels were largely ignored, with almost catastrophic consequences for the nation in 193940". So, appeasement was the right policy. Was Appeasement the Right Policy for England in 1938? [60][61], Czechoslovakia did not concern most people until tid-September 1938, when they began to object to a small democratic state being bullied. This was because Britain was still suffering from the experience of WW1 and they were trying to rearm properly. However, by the time of the Munich Agreement, which was concluded on 30 September 1938 between Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, the policy was opposed by the Labour Party and by a few Conservative dissenters such as future Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War Duff Cooper, and future Prime Minister Anthony Eden. This would have stopped Hitler cold and WWII would have been prevented. Round 1: Take out Documents A and B, Guiding Questions, and Hypotheses Sheet. Appeasement helped to build up national unity and not let people believe the British government has done everything they can to try to prevent war. posted Apr 2, 2017, 7:52 PM by 750394@tritonstudents.org . 2. Answer Guiding Questions. Hugh Dalton, a Labour Party MP who usually advocated stiff resistance to Germany, said that neither the British people nor Labour would support military or economic sanctions. Knowing that they had tried every other method would also result in higher morale, as the people would know that they were going to war as a last resort. Without appeasement, Germany would have been able to start a war, leaving Britain to be defenseless. While it is true that they had no idea whether or not they could overcome Hitler, they still could have been more convicted in their stance instead of constantly bending to his will. Just like how there was no confirmation that Hitler would side against the Western European powers, there was no guarantee that Hitler would side against the Soviets either. However, the U.S. issued the Stimson Doctrine and refused to recognize Japan's conquest, which played a role in shifting U.S. policy to favour China over Japan during the late 1930s. However, General Joseph Vuillemin, air force chief of staff, warned that it was far inferior and consistently opposed war against Germany. 2.Round 1: Take out Documents A and B, Guiding Questions, and Hypotheses Sheet. Appeasement was the correct path for Britain at the time. Because the ultimatum was never set down in writing and did not include a formal deadline, some historians downplay its importance and describe it as a "set of demands", rather than as an ultimatum. See, for example, McDonough, F., Brown, R., and Smith, D.. See, for example, Clement Leibovitz and Alvin Finkel. If the policy is up-to-date (i.e. The invasion was the first major test of the Wehrmacht's machinery. The arguments in Taylor's Origins of the Second World War, which have sometimes been described as "revisionist",[9][80] were rejected by many historians at the time, and reviews of his book in Britain and the United States were generally critical. On 12 March, the German Wehrmacht crossed the Austrian border. Barros, Andrew, Talbot C. Imlay, Evan Resnick, Norrin M. Ripsman, and Jack S. Levy. 1. 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. However the 6 months also gave germany time to rearm and strengthen their army in addition to the arms strength they gained from Czechoslovakia. At least that's what I believe could've worked if my memory of the pre-war is correct. It encouraged Hitler rather than curb his appetite. The journalist Shiela Grant Duff's Penguin Special, Europe and the Czechs, was published and distributed to every MP on the day that Chamberlain returned from Munich. Appeasement was strongly supported by the British upper class, including royalty, big business (based in the City of London), the House of Lords, and media such as the BBC and The Times. Because the Western democracies gave Hitler the land immediately to avoid future conflict. Also, by portraying the leaders of the 1930s as real people attempting to deal with real problems, he made the first strides towards explaining the actions of the appeasers, rather than merely condemning them. [77], In May 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush cautioned against "the false comfort of appeasement" when dealing with Iran and [41] Amongst Conservatives, Churchill was unusual in believing that Germany menaced freedom and democracy, that British rearmament should proceed more rapidly and that Germany should be resisted over Czechoslovakia. By taking on a policy of appeasement, it would justify to the people that all options have been exhausted before going to war. But how did each individual country know if they had enough men to counter the german forces? How did adopting the policy of appeasement change Europe? Instituted in the hope of avoiding war, appeasement was the name given to Britain's policy in the 1930s of allowing Hitler to expand German territory unchecked. 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. A plebiscite was held on 10 April and officially recorded the support of 99.73% of the voters for the Anschluss.[12]. was appeasement the right policy for England in 1938 Had they known about Hitler's tactics, they would not have tried appeasement. Vuilliamy, E., "Bosnia: The Crime of Appeasement", Penny McRae, "West appeasing China on Tibet, says PM-in-exile", AFP, 15 September 2009, agreed to concede two thirds of Abyssinia to Italy, Non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War, President of the United States of America, Confidence and security-building measures, https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2018.1428211, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", "The Labour Party and the Economics of Rearmament, 19351939", Richard Overy, "Parting with Pacifism: In the Mid-1930s Many Millions of British People Voted Overwhelmingly against Any Return to Conflict. On the other hand, what would have been happened if this only deterred Hitler? The people of Britain and France would also be very unhappy had their government dare to oppose Hitler (which would increase to possibility of a war). Urbys relayed the verbal ultimatum to the Lithuanian government. As a result of the annexation of the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia lost 800,000 citizens, much of its industry and its mountain defences in the west. [97], Some commentators have suggested that some NATO countries are following the policy of appeasement towards Vladimir Putin's Russia by rejecting the support of Ukrainian democracy through military operations during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[98][99][100][101]. Not the other way round. [77] The spectre of appeasement was raised in discussions of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. 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. [23] Chamberlain ultimately ceded to all of Hitler's demands at Munich because he believed Britain and Nazi Germany were "the two pillars of European peace and buttresses against communism".[24][25]. This would cost them time as rearmament is fairly expensive, which is why they needed to buy more time with appeasement. I would like to agree with your opinion, however I would like to point out that you did not include one thing. Members of the League were entitled to the assistance of other members if they came under attack. The conversation lasted for about 40 minutes. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Later in the day, Hitler resiled by saying that he was willing to accept the cession of the Sudetenland by 1 October. Please make reference to at least three of the primary source documents in your essay. In September 1931, the Empire of Japan, a member of the League of Nations, invaded Manchuria, in northeast China, by claiming that the regional population was not only Chinese but was multi-ethnic. "History extension 2019: Constructing history case study: Appeasement. The policy appeared to be ineffectual when confronted by the aggression of dictators, notably Germany's Remilitarization of the Rhineland and Italy's Benito Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia. However, even if Britain were to go to war immediately, they would not have the financial capabilities to do so. Under the Versailles Settlement, the Rhineland was demilitarised. Exactly. This resulted in weak western governments and this allowed Hitler and other countries to take advantage and cause war. Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg wished to pursue ties with Italy but turned to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania (the Little Entente). The policy of collective security ran in parallel with measures to achieve international disarmament and, if possible, was to be based on economic sanctions against an aggressor. [28] On 20 March, just five days after the German occupation of Prague, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop agreed to meet Urbys but not the Lithuanian Ambassador to Berlin, Kazys kirpa, who was asked to wait in another room. question: Was appeasement the right policy for England in 1938? Was Appeasement the Right Policy for England? Instead of feeding into Germany's deception, England, along with France and other allies, had a chance to discipline Germa. 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. The League set up a commission of inquiry that condemned Japan, and the League duly adopted the report in February 1933. They needed time to rearm themselves, or they would be overrun by the German army. 2023 TidyLife, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chamberlain's policy of appeasement emerged from the failure of the League of Nations and the failure of collective security. Rearming can be done secretly anyways without the public knowing and they wouldnt have to pursue appeasement, But without appeasement, Germany were on the brink of attacking Britain. Although the Allies had prohibited the union of Austria and Germany, their reaction to the Anschluss was mild. This also means that by just merely challenging Hitler, Britain would have an advantage over Germany to win the war. In conclusion, Britains choice to adopt a policy of appeasement during the 1930s was a wise decision, as it delayed war, prolonged the amount of time the country had to build up arms, and pleased the public. ATTENTION TO RIGHT HOLDERS! Gendering Appeasement, Members of the Government, from 26 October 1951 to 5 April 1955. The political leaders responsible for Appeasement made many errors. [52] British communists, following the party line defined by Joseph Stalin,[57] argued that appeasement had been a pro-fascist policy and that the British ruling class preferred fascism to socialism. By signing the appeasement, not only they can buy more time to rearm, it will also gain support from the masses. Students also viewed On September 30, 1938, they signed the Munich Pact, which gave the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Germany. but Events in Spain Changed Public Opinion" History Today, Vol. 4) It's not unreasonable to believe other battle fronts would be sufficient to keep the enemy occupied, or simply that the enemy would stop and rest on what they had gained so far. Even if they somehow manage to go to war with their sheer lack of resources, the low morale will be detrimental to their campaign. [42] Churchill's sustained warnings about fascism commenced only in 1938 after Francisco Franco, who was receiving aid from Italy in Germany during the Spanish Civil War, decimated the left in Spain. ", Watt, D. C. "The Historiography of Appeasement", in, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 00:08. Germany for this case was seen as an ally. Chamberlain became convinced that refusal would lead to war. Three British journalists, Michael Foot, Frank Owen and Peter Howard, writing under the name of "Cato" in their book Guilty Men, called for the removal from office of 15 public figures they held accountable, including Chamberlain. They promised to counter the German bombing offensive but were not yet ready and so appeasement was necessary to cause a delay. The people were wary of another war and if they had not tried appeasement, the government would not have the full support of the people if a war broke out. You can share this debate in three different ways: Given the sources you've read & the contextual understanding of 7 reasons why they chose Appeasement - do you think it was the right policy for Britain in 1938? [91], U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair also cited Churchill's warnings about German rearmament to justify their action in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War. Sudetenland was basically handed over to Hitler, along with all their modern defenses. Britain and France told the Czechoslovak President Edvard Bene to hand over to Germany all territory with a German majority. Spurred by voters who demanded No more war, the leaders of Britain, France, and the United states tried to avoid conflict through diplomacy. This time has become known as the interwar years (from 1918 to 1939) in reference to the . After the German invasion of Norway, opinion turned against Chamberlain's conduct of the war. [77], During the Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Curtis LeMay and various hawks within the Kennedy administration for an air strike on Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba compared Kennedy's hesitance to do so to appeasement. but they failed the overall goal of appeasement, which was to prevent war. [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. 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. Even though if they knew about what Hitler was doing, they would still go for appeasement or public shame of Germany and they would not want to go to war with them. However, instead of throwing Germany the whole meal, assuring them that they can take as much as they want, Britain should have only fed them Scraps. 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