APPEASEMENT
A Political Education or a Detrimental
Implication in the Post-War Ear?
Overview
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What is Appeasement?
Sections of Research and Analysis
Impact of Appeasement
Why is this Topic Important to Study?
Project Form
What is Appeasement?
Appeasement has been defined as:
“Giving in to the demands of aggressive powers to avoid
war”
“The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes
of avoiding further conflict”
“A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in hopes
of avoiding war”
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What is Appeasement?
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During the 1930’s, Britain and
France adopted a policy of
appeasement towards Adolf Hitler
and Nazi Germany, offering the
menacing dictator numerous
concessions in the hope of
avoiding a conflict reminiscent of
WW1
The climax of appeasement
occurred at the Munich Conference
in 1938 when Britain and France
granted the Germans permission to
What is Appeasement?
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Allowed Hitler the
opportunity to transform
Germany into a war
machine and gain control
over Central Europe
without a fight
Appeasement failed,
eventually leading to
World War 2, the most
devastating conflict of
our time, which resulted
in an estimated 56 – 61
million deaths
What is Appeasement?
•The Legacy of appeasement
•The leaders during this timer period,
such as Neville Chamberlain, have been
scorned and ridiculed throughout history,
receiving considerable blame for the
outbreak of war. Is this fair?
•The west openly sacrificed nations in
Eastern Europe to avoid war with Hitler.
Did this influence the attitudes and
actions of the Soviet Union at the end of
the war?
Sections of Research
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Historiography and general theories regarding
the policy of appeasement
An analysis and description of the policy of
appeasement in Britain and France throughout
the 1930’s
The role of the Soviet Union during this time
period, analyzing their reactions to the
appeasement of Nazi Germany
Historiography
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Traditional Theory – belief that the policy of
appeasement was merely an attempt on behalf
of Britain and France to save themselves by
offering other nations to Germany
“How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should
be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because
of a quarrel in a far-away country between people of
whom we know nothing!” – Neville Chamberlain, 1938
Historiography
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Revisionist Theory – more sympathetic towards
Britain and France, arguing that they were
fighting to maintain their dieing empires while
simultaneously attempting to reinstate a
“balance-of-power” system throughout Europe,
excluding the Soviet Union
Analysis and Description
Britain and France
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An in-depth analysis and description of the causes,
motivations, political actions and reactions, discussions,
debates and political policies of Britain and France
during appeasement
Includes heads of state, government officials,
ambassadors, foreign ministers, politicians, and most
importantly, ordinary citizens
Inability of the capitalist west and communist east to
cast aside their differences and come to an agreement
to in order to counter Hitler
Role of the Soviet Union
Hitler’s regime was
fanatically anticommunist, anti-Slavic,
and anti-Semitic. His
plans for world
domination were oriented
towards the east,
something the Soviet
Union was well aware of
during his ascendancy to
power
Role of the Soviet Union
•What was the Soviet Union’s response
to the West’s policy of appeasement
towards Hitler’s Nazi Germany?
•Did the attitudes maintained by
Western European nations during this
time period influence the Cold War?
Impact of Appeasement
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Following the end of World War 2, the United States
formulated its foreign policy based in accordance with
the lessons the world had learned from the policy of
appeasement during the 1930’s. As a result, the U.S.
adapted an aggressive policy of action to prevent the
failures of appeasement from reoccurring
The effects of appeasement on U.S. foreign policy has
been apparent for several decades, and is still
influencing diplomatic decisions in today’s world
An example of the U.S. anti-appeasement policy is the
Vietnam War
Why is this Subject Important to
Study?
Prior to the outbreak of war with Iraq in 2002, politicians,
government officials, and numerous TV analysts compared
Saddam Hussein with Adolf Hitler, warning against the
dangers of “appeasing” him
Why is this Subject so Important to
Study?
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“History proved that Churchill was right. If the
appeasers of our own day are wrong, then
Saddam Hussein continues Hitler’s quest to
eradicate the world of Jews and terrorize the
planet with the threat of, now, nuclear
annihilation. The United States is the only
country that CAN stop Saddam Hussein before
that terrifying possibility becomes a horrific,
unstoppable reality.”
Why is this Subject so Important to
Study?
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“Hussein is the brute that threatens not only his
continent, but the entire civilized world. And after two
world wars, one would expect the public’s reaction to
[the] unprovoked attacks on New York and Washington
to elicit an appropriately autonomic response of no less
than pre-emptive self-defense against the source of
those attacks. But, quite the contrary, there is a growing
peace movement in Europe, Canada and the United
States calling for ‘temperance,’ ‘patience’ and yes, even
appeasement of Saddam Hussein.
Why is this Subject Important to
Study?
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Studying appeasement is essential to the problems that
will inevitably arise in the future
History teaches us lessons, providing us with the
opportunity to analyze certain scenarios that have
presented themselves
Does the legacy of appeasement still impact the
diplomacy, foreign policy and international relations of
the United States?
Is the policy of appeasement justifiably comparable to
the events in today’s world?
What Will This Project Look Like?
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After a period of extensive research and detailed
analysis, this project will take the form of a polished
and in-depth research paper
This project can be accomplished at UNCW
A wealth of primary and secondary source material
pertaining to this subject is available at Randall Library.
This includes memoirs, microfilm, personal letters,
testimonies, diaries, official correspondences, state and
government documents