Overview
- After World War I, many European countries believed that peace could be preserved through collective security.
- Collective security is the idea that if one country threatened peace, others would stop them together.
- When dictators began to challenge the peace, appeasement (giving in to demands to avoid war) replaced action.
Aims, Issues, and Extent of Success of Collective Security
- Aims
- Prevent war through international cooperation.
- Let the League of Nations act like a “peacekeeper.”
- Use sanctions or diplomatic pressure to stop aggressors.
- Major Issues
- The USA never joined the League (weakened its power.)
- The League had no army, only moral pressure and sanctions.
- Big powers like Britain and France prioritized their own national interests over collective action.
- Some countries (e.g., Germany, Japan, Italy) simply left the League when criticized.
Role of British, French, and Soviet Foreign Policies (1919–1941)
- Britain
- Wanted to avoid war at all costs.
- Supported the League but didn’t commit troops or strong sanctions.
- In the 1930s, Britain followed appeasement under Neville Chamberlain.
- France
- More interested in security from Germany than enforcing League ideals.
- Built the Maginot Line to defend itself.
- Was often too weak or divided politically to take firm action.
- Relied on alliances in Eastern Europe (like with Poland and Czechoslovakia), but failed to support them in 1938–39.
- Soviet Union
- Isolated after 1917 Russian Revolution.
- Joined the League in 1934, but distrusted the West.
- After being excluded from Munich in 1938, signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 , a move that shocked the Allies and ended hopes for unity against Hitler.
Hint
- British and French foreign policies shifted from supporting the League to appeasing dictators.
- Soviet policy was driven by self-preservation and deep mistrust of both Hitler and the West.
Key Terms
- Appeasement = Giving in to an aggressor to keep peace
- Munich Agreement (1938) = Britain and France allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland
Exam technique
- Always define collective security and appeasement early.
- Use examples from the League and specific foreign policy actions (e.g., British inaction during Abyssinia).
- Include the Munich Crisis as a turning point.
Case study
Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis (1938)
Background
- By 1938, Adolf Hitler had
- remilitarized the Rhineland,
- united Germany with Austria (Anschluss), and was now
- demanding the Sudetenland, a German-speaking area in Czechoslovakia.
- British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain believed war should be avoided at all costs.
- Britain was still recovering from World War I, and many British people supported peace.
Chamberlain’s Actions
- Chamberlain personally met with Hitler three times in September 1938 to negotiate.
- He believed that by giving Hitler the Sudetenland, Germany would be satisfied and peace would be preserved.
- The Munich Agreement was signed by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy on September 30, 1938.
- Czechoslovakia was forced to take the deal.
"Peace for our time"
- Chamberlain returned to London and announced that the agreement had secured "peace for our time."
- Many people cheered him for avoiding another war.
- Winston Churchill and others warned that appeasement would only encourage Hitler.
Consequences
- In March 1939, Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia, breaking his promise.
- Britain and France abandoned appeasement and guaranteed Poland's independence.
- When Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939, Britain and France declared war.
Self review
- To what extent was collective security a failure by 1939?
- Evaluate the reasons for the failure of appeasement.
- Discuss the role of British and French foreign policies in the outbreak of WWII.
- Assess the causes and consequences of the Munich Crisis.
