Bilbo Bagins Good or Bad
Appeasement is a policy based on pragmatism, fear of war or moral conviction, that causes a state not to use aggression towards an aggressor nor to retaliate. In their response to Hitler and Germany the British and French exercised the policy appeasement. After nearly 10 million deaths in world war 1 many countries where determined to avoid further conflict. Britain saw appeasement as the way to do this. They believed if they gave Hitler what he wanted it would avoid another war. Unfortunately history shows this did not work. With each compromise that Britain agreed to, Hitler and Germany demanded more.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th June 1919 formally ending World War 1. It consisted of 440 Articles setting out the terms of Germany’s punishment. The Treaty stated that Germany was not allowed to have an air force, its navy could only have 6 ships and the army no more than 100, 000 men. In 1933 Germany openly began to rearm, raising her army to 300,000 men. After 1936 Hitler reintroduced conscription and by 1939 had 95 warships, 8250 airplanes and an army of one million. This was in clear breach of the Treaty. Britain and France were aware of Germany’s rearmament but did nothing. In fact Britain broke the treaty as part of the Anglo-German pact, which allowed the German navy be one third the size of the British navy. Germany was being allowed to rearm and grow in military strength with no opposition.
Germany was now a growing military force and in March 1936 Hitler ordered his troops should enter the Rhineland. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles the Rhineland had been made into a demilitarised zone. Germany had control of the area but was not allowed to put any troops in it. The terms of the Treaty had been broken once again but neither France nor Britain took any action. Britain did not wish to enforce the treaty as Germany was only going into their “ own backyard “.
Facing no opposition, Hitler became more aggressive in his
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th June 1919 formally ending World War 1. It consisted of 440 Articles setting out the terms of Germany’s punishment. The Treaty stated that Germany was not allowed to have an air force, its navy could only have 6 ships and the army no more than 100, 000 men. In 1933 Germany openly began to rearm, raising her army to 300,000 men. After 1936 Hitler reintroduced conscription and by 1939 had 95 warships, 8250 airplanes and an army of one million. This was in clear breach of the Treaty. Britain and France were aware of Germany’s rearmament but did nothing. In fact Britain broke the treaty as part of the Anglo-German pact, which allowed the German navy be one third the size of the British navy. Germany was being allowed to rearm and grow in military strength with no opposition.
Germany was now a growing military force and in March 1936 Hitler ordered his troops should enter the Rhineland. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles the Rhineland had been made into a demilitarised zone. Germany had control of the area but was not allowed to put any troops in it. The terms of the Treaty had been broken once again but neither France nor Britain took any action. Britain did not wish to enforce the treaty as Germany was only going into their “ own backyard “.
Facing no opposition, Hitler became more aggressive in his