How far was the policy of appeasement justified?

Learning Objective: To evaluate the policy of

appeasement and develop exam technique

Was the policy of appeasement justified?

• In 1939 after Hitler had failed to keep his promises of 1938, appeasement had looked like a weak and foolish policy

• The failure of appeasement had serious consequences

• But is it too easy to say Appeasement was a mistake in hindsight?

Appeasement was justified

Appeasement was not justified

So was appeasement justified?

Appeasement was justified Appeasement was not justified

• In the light of the context of the 1930s appeasement was justified- they tried diplomacy first rather than resort to a war which no one wanted or was ready for. •Appeasement was in line with the League of Nations values•It bought Britain time- Historian AJP Taylor suggested that Britain was not ready for war in 1938, they had only started to re-arm in 1937, appeasement bought them time to prepare for war

•Appeasement made the Allies- Britain and France look weak. It encouraged Hitler’s aggression and allowed him to gain power.•Appeasement was mistaken- rested on the assumption that Hitler could be trusted- many knew this already•Appeasement to other powers looked like weakness- particularly the USSR who made the Soviet Pact as a result. This made the early years of the war harder and Hitler the upper hand•With hindsight, you can see that Germany was not only recovering lost ground: it was also becoming much more powerful than Britain or France

Was the policy of appeasement justified?

Which statement do you agree with most

• The right policy at the right time• The wrong policy but only with

hindsight• A betrayal of the people of

Czechoslovakia• A risky policy that purchased valuable

timeWhat evidence is there to support each

of these statements?

Why had internationalPeace collapsed by 1939?

Hitler’s actions

The policy of appeasement

Problems caused by the peace treaties

The Nazi Soviet Pact 1939

The failure of the League of Nations

The depression

Task: for each factor explain how it led to war in 1939. Ensure that you include specific knowledge and references. Refer to specific events i.e Sudeten crisis

Essay Practice• How far was the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939

responsible for causing war in Europe? Explain your answer. [10]

Tips• Very short introduction that answers the Q and

contains judgement- what was responsible for war?• Discuss the Nazi soviet pact and explain how this

caused war in 1939• Discuss other factors that caused war- paragraph

on each and explain (appeasement, Treaty of Versailles, Hitler etc)

• Ensure you make links between the reasons and explain how they caused war

• Conclusion that contains clear judgement and evaluation of ‘how far’.

How far was the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 responsible for causing war in Europe?

Explain your answer. [10]

• The Nazi Soviet Pact was hugely significant in contributing to the outbreak of WWII as it was this which gave Hitler the confidence to invade Poland on the 1st Sept, 1939 – the event which actually sparked war breaking out. The Pact was signed as a result of Stalin’s insecurity and Hitler’s ambition for lebensraum and was essentially the result of the policy of appeasement. Britain and France had looked weak throughout the 1930s because of this policy and as a result, Stalin felt that he needed to secure an alliance with the only other choice – Germany.

• However, there are other factors which contributed to the collapse of international peace. The most powerful factor in my opinion was the failure of the peace treaties to create a good and lasting peace in 1919. the Treaty of Versailles led to Germany losing vast parts of their country, as well as all of their overseas territories. This loss would ultimately led to bitterness and a desire for revenge – sentiments which would be drawn on in the 1920s and 1930s by the Nazi Party. This ‘unfinished business’ was the main policy of the Nazi party and when they came to power in January 1933, was only a matter of time.