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
appeasement had looked was justified
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 not
justified
So was appeasement justified?
Appeasement was justified
Appeasement was not justified
•
•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
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
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
time
What evidence is there to support each
of these statements?
Hitler’s
actions
The
depression
The policy of
appeasement
Problems
caused by the
peace
treaties
Why had international
Peace collapsed by 1939?
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
The failure
of the League
of Nations
The Nazi
Soviet Pact
1939
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.