In the previous section, we saw how collective security failed in the 1930s. This was partly because of the weaknesses and loss of legitimacy of the League of Nations, but also due to another policy, called appeasement.
Appeasement was Britain and France’s policy of making concessions to Hitler in the hope that this would maintain peace in Europe.
In a way, it was a reversal of the Treaty of Versailles, that relied on impositions and control on Germany.
Appeasement was based on the idea that negotiation and toleration towards aggressive expansionism was the way to prevent open war.
The Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, legitimized Hitler’s violation of Versailles and later Locarno until 1939, when Germany invaded Poland and WW2 started.
Note
In technical terms, appeasement starts in 1935 with the final death blow to the League of Nation’s legitimacy during the crisis in Abyssinia (see the section on Italian Expansion - events and responses)
At that time, the Prime Minister of Britain was not Chamberlain, but Stanley Baldwin. It was his government that launched appeasement.
Chamberlain will be elected in 1937, but he will be the face of appeasement because of his high profile negotiations with Hitler in 1938 (see the section on German Expansion - events and responses)
Appeasement
Motives for Appeasement
It is true that in hindsight appeasement looks like a very wrong interpretation of Hitler’s ambitions and the general political scenario of Europe in the 1930s, but there were some motives to implement it:
In the talks in Paris, while the Treaty of Versailles was being drafted Lloyd George, Britain’s Prime Minister at the time, was not in favor of a harsh treatment of Germany.
Britain was against crippling Germany’s economy because they were interested in keeping Germany as a trading partner.
Also, they shared part of Woodrow Wilson’s (the US president also present at Versailles) concerns that an unreasonably hard Pact on Germany would have disastrous political consequences.
The Great Depression, apart from impacting Britain’s domestic economy, had opened new foreign policy preoccupations.
In particular, the Japanese expansion was posing threats to British interests in the Far East and Britain acted on appeasement in Europe to deactivate issues on different fronts.
The Great Depression also took its toll on budget allocation in Britain. Chamberlain was not gullible: he understood that Htiler wanted expansion, but Chamberlain needed time to rearm Britain in the event of military confrontation.
Unlock the rest of this chapter with aFreeaccount
Nice try, unfortunately this paywall isn't as easy to bypass as you think. Want to help devleop the site? Join the team at https://revisiondojo.com/join-us. exercitation voluptate cillum ullamco excepteur sint officia do tempor Lorem irure minim Lorem elit id voluptate reprehenderit voluptate laboris in nostrud qui non Lorem nostrud laborum culpa sit occaecat reprehenderit
Definition
Paywall
(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.
anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Note
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.
Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident
Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.
Tip
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.
End of article
Want a cheatsheet?
View a summary cheatsheet for German and Italian Expansion (1933-1940) - Causes of expansion
Flashcards
Remember key concepts with flashcards
16 flashcards
What was appeasement?
Lesson
Recap your knowledge with an interactive lesson
7 minute activity
Note
The Invasion of Albania: Mussolini's Ambitions
On 7 April 1939, Italy invaded Albania, led by General Alfredo Guzzoni.
The invasion force consisted of:
100,000 troops.
600 aircraft.
Albania's defense was weak:
15,000 poorly equipped troops, trained by Italians.
Sabotage by Italian agents further weakened Albanian resistance.
NoteBy the afternoon of the first day, all Albanian ports were under Italian control, forcing King Zog and his family to flee to Greece.