Appeasement: means to give in to an aggressors demands, providing they are deemed reasonable, in order to avoid conflict

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Views on Appeasement Some historians feel that appeasement was a

direct cause of WW2 as it allowed Hitler to grow in power and confidence.

Others sympathise with politicians of the time and share the belief that appeasement was the only viable option. It also gave Britain and France time to prepare for war.

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Why Appeasement? Many felt that the British army was not ready to

fight in the mid 1930s. Appeasing gave them time to prepare for war. A leading army general had told the government that the army was not ready to fight and it would be too expensive.

The British did not have the money to fund a war. The 1930s was a time of real hardship for many people and there was the belief in ‘welfare not warfare’.

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German Rearmament

Review of German Troops, 1939

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German Aggression

German Aggression 1936-1939

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The Munich Agreement

Chamberlain and Hitler at the Munich Agreement

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Underestimation of Hitler Many people trusted Hitler and thought that

his demands were not unreasonable. What was wrong with Hitler taking back German territory or uniting with Austria if the people were happy about it?

There was widespread belief that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and it was right for Hitler to challenge it.

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Didn't Want Another World War The impact of WW1 had effected many

people’s viewpoints. They had seen the devastation war had caused and didn’t want another one.

There was widespread support for pacifism. This was backed up by the 1935 Peace Ballot where 11.5 million people voted against aggression.

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Further German Aggression

Polish city of Wieluń after German bombing September 1, 1939

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Fear of Communism Germany seen as buffer between Russia and

Europe. A strong Germany would prevent Russian expansion

‘Better Hitlerism than Communism’...no one had any idea how bad Nazism would be. They had already seen what Communism could do.

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Reasons Why Appeasement Was Followed

MilitaryFinancialTrustVersaillesFirst World WarPacifism

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Create a mnemonic for the reasons why appeasement was followed in the 1930s.

It could be a shopping list, sentence, list of colours, football teams etc.

MilitaryFinancialTrustVersaillesFirst World WarPacifism

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Mnemonic

MilitaryFinancialTrustVersaillesFirst World WarPacifism

MyFuzzyTarantulaVexedFourPeople

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Question

The policy of avoiding war with an aggressive nation by giving into its demands is called?

Appeasement

Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement was controversial at the time and has been debated by historians and policymakers ever since the Munich Agreement.

Our job today is to examine a variety of documents and evaluate different perspectives on appeasement.

You will develop a claim, using evidence, to answer the question:

Was appeasement the right policy for England in Was appeasement the right policy for England in 1938?1938?

Central Historical Question