Appeasement: By/ Matthew J And Josh A

Appeasement 

By/ Matthew J  and  Josh A

What Is Appeasement?  

Appeasement is:        

– "The policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and  satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and compromise  ..."(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeasement)  –  "The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes of  avoiding further conflict."  – (www.unitedpagans.com/classes/mod/glossary/view.php) – "The policy of giving in to the demands of a hostile or aggressive  power in an attempt to keep the peace."   (http://www.yourdictionary.com/appeasement)

  Appeasement is the giving of something to someone which thy want, in order to try and prevent them  from wanting any more.

The Appeasement Of Hitler   

• After joining with Austria (Anschluss) Hitler decided that he wanted to take over the Sudatenland as the Germans who lived there wanted to be apart of Germany. • However, the Czechs who lived along side them revolted against the idea, and so Hitler threatened to invade anyway. • It was at this time , September, 1938, that Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, arranged to meet with Hitler and try and appease him by getting him to sign an agreement, know as the Munich agreement, to prevent another world war. • The agreement signed by Hitler allowed him to have the entire Sudatenland as he had demanded. • It was the act of appeasement, by giving Hitler what he wanted, that prolonged the threat of war until 1939, when Hitler invaded the rest of Czechkoslovakia.

Left: Hitler and  the Nazi party's  ideology on what  Germany and its  people should be  like. Below: Neville  Chamberlain,  British Prime  Minister from  1937 ­ 1940

Reasons for Appeasement

• No on wanted a repeat of the First World War as many families had either lost somone they loved or someone they knew, and many families would still have been grieving or trying to rebuild their lives. The use of Appeasement towards Hitler gave time for this reformation and eliminated the threat of war to a certain degree. Also, it gave Britain time to re-arm. • After the Treaty Of Versailles enforced such harsh restrictions on Germany and its people ( the reparation bill of £6600 million ) many people though that by letting HItler have what he wanted, for his Germany, it would compensate for the strictness of the Treaty's terms. In a way, it gave Germany back a little more of its freedom and allowed it to partially recover from WW1. The Appeasement was, in a way, breaking the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. • As they were unable to protect the countries that layed in Hitler's path, such as Poland and Czechkoslavia, Britain and France though that by Appeasing Hitler they would eliminate the threat of communism from Russia/USSR, by allowing Germany to become strong and oppose Stalin.

Reasons Against Appeasement  • The people of Czechkoslovakia who didnt want Hitler to invade  had no say in what should happen to their country. Many people  saw the giving of land to appease someone as not just wrong, but  morally wrong aswell. It wasn't right to decide the fate of  another country and its people, when the country wasn't yours,  as Britain and France did, which led to not just Czechkoslovakia  being invaded but Poland aswell. •  Allowing Hitler to have the land he wanted, not only boosted  the people of Germany's faith in him, but also boosted Hitler  himself's confidence ,which therefore, gave him more power and  made him more feared. This wasn't good, as the appeasement  fueled Hitler's desire for German greatness and permitted him to  gain 'Lebensraum' ( living­space ) for his people.

Interpretations Of Appeasement  Over Time:

• Tradition Historian ( Cato ) 1940/50's ­ He thought 

   

Appeasement was a bad idea due to it having failed in the effort to  prevent WW2 . • Revisionist ( ASP Taylor ) 1950's ­ He thought that  Appeasement was the bect course of action to have chosen at the  time of the Czechkoslovakian crisis. • Counter­ Revisionist ( McDonough ) 1990's ­ He thought that  the Appeasement shown towards Hitler at that particular point in  history could have been shown better and much stronger, despite the  fact Britain and France were still recovering from the effects of  WW1.

Links For Further Reading • http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chamberlain_arthur_nevill e.shtml

             ( Brief History of the life of Neville Chmaberlain )

• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm

             ( Brief History of Hitler's life and political career )

•  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/chamberlain andappeasementrev1.shtml

             ( Summary of the Appeasement that was shown towards Hitler )

• http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/public_opinion_and_appeasement_i .htm

            ( The publics' opinion of Appeasement at the time­1938 )