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Why did Britain and France agree to a policy of appeasement?
In the late 1930s Britain, under Neville Chamberlain, and her ally France adopted a policy of appeasement. This meant that they wanted to keep the peace and avoid entering a war at any cost, even if it meant making concessions towards potential aggressors, particularly Germany ruled by the dictator Adolf Hitler.
Why did people disagree with appeasement?
Many people believed to Germany had been treated too harshly under the Treaty of Versailles. Some people saw Communism as the biggest threat to European stability. They thought that Germany could act as a buffer, especially as Hitler was very anti-Communist. Britain was not ready for war.
What was wrong with appeasement?
Appeasement was a mistake because it did not prevent war. Instead, it only postponed the war, which was actually a bad thing. Postponing the war was a bad thing because all it did was to give Hitler time to increase his power. When Hitler started violating the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was still rather weak.
Why was appeasement a good thing?
Appeasement was said to have been beneficial because it provided the Allies with more time to prepare for war. However, the idea that the Munich Agreement had restored peace fooled the Allies into a stagnant state since none of them were fully prepared for the war when it arrived.
What are arguments for appeasement?
Britain was dealing with economic problems linked to the Great Depression and a war would be a costly distraction therefore appeasement would allow governments to focus on the problems at home. Many Britons felt that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair and that what Hitler was doing was justified.
What was wrong with the policy of appeasement?
The Policy of Appeasement did not succeed with the nations it was designed to protect: it failed to prevent war. For example, in 1936 Britain and France allowed the remilitarisation of the Rhineland without any nation intervening with the affairs that could easily be prevented.
Why was appeasement beneficial to Britain?
Why did Britain and France support the appeasement policy?
The main reason why Britain and France embraced the appeasement policy was because they did not want the whole of Europe to be dragged into a world war by Hitler.
Why did Britain turn a blind eye to the appeasement policy?
It was due to the appeasement which made Hitler more confident. In short France and Britain simply turned a blind eye on this public breach of Versailles treaty. He was confident that France and Britain as the appeasers would not stop him. He did this knowing very well that he was flouting the Versailles treaty.
Why was appeasement a gamble for the Germans?
Appeasement, therefore, was a gamble based on believing that Hitler was trustworthy Appeasement also allowed Germany to grow into a strong nation with a strong army, which was more powerful than Britain, something the Treaty of Versailles had attempted to stop.
Why did Chamberlain think the policy of appeasement was justified?
Chamberlain believed that Germany had been treated very badly after World War I, so he thought that Hitler’s actions were justified. However the main reason why Chamberlain believed appeasement was an important policy was because he thought that by giving in to Hitler’s demands, he could prevent a European war.