Why Appeasement Was The Right Policy In Response To Germany
Abby McGuire Ms Burke World History May 23, 2024.
Why Appeasement was the Right Policy in Response to Germany?
The interwar period was one of the most fragile times in Europe as the nation grappled with the effects of World War I and the chaos from the Great Depression. As a new power formed in Germany with the name of Adolf Hitler, the Allied Powers had to decide whether to keep peace or resume the conflict between regions. The Treaty of Versailles was a punishment towards Germany that limited their economic and military power. In response, Hitler targeted these conditions, forcing Britain to find approaches to avoid a second war. As raising concerns grew, Great Britain needed to find a way to rearm and form a commonwealth. Appeasement was …show more content…
). The Treaty of Versailles forced Britain to take more cautious steps while the targeted nation was in rage. In June 1935 the British signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Nazi Germany which “allowed Germany to maintain a naval force much larger than what they were permitted to maintain under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles' (USHMM, 2023). Not only did this prevail as a solution to prevent a naval arms race between nations, but also a way to acknowledge part of the damage they caused with the Treaty of Versailles (USHMM, 2023). By 1938, Chamberlain spoke up at the United Kingdom’s House of Commons and defended the Munich conference by stating, “that we should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analyzing possible causes, by trying to remove them [...]” (Chamberlin Doc A). This is exactly what the method of appeasement aims to do, whether they exceed or not. The harshness of the Treaty of Versailles played such a crucial role in making appeasement the right choice because it compelled Britain and France to adopt this strategy in order to buy time and avoid immediate conflict. By choosing to not carry out immediate conflict, they were led into war they were far more prepared for. The second reason why
Why Appeasement was the Right Policy in Response to Germany?
The interwar period was one of the most fragile times in Europe as the nation grappled with the effects of World War I and the chaos from the Great Depression. As a new power formed in Germany with the name of Adolf Hitler, the Allied Powers had to decide whether to keep peace or resume the conflict between regions. The Treaty of Versailles was a punishment towards Germany that limited their economic and military power. In response, Hitler targeted these conditions, forcing Britain to find approaches to avoid a second war. As raising concerns grew, Great Britain needed to find a way to rearm and form a commonwealth. Appeasement was …show more content…
). The Treaty of Versailles forced Britain to take more cautious steps while the targeted nation was in rage. In June 1935 the British signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Nazi Germany which “allowed Germany to maintain a naval force much larger than what they were permitted to maintain under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles' (USHMM, 2023). Not only did this prevail as a solution to prevent a naval arms race between nations, but also a way to acknowledge part of the damage they caused with the Treaty of Versailles (USHMM, 2023). By 1938, Chamberlain spoke up at the United Kingdom’s House of Commons and defended the Munich conference by stating, “that we should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analyzing possible causes, by trying to remove them [...]” (Chamberlin Doc A). This is exactly what the method of appeasement aims to do, whether they exceed or not. The harshness of the Treaty of Versailles played such a crucial role in making appeasement the right choice because it compelled Britain and France to adopt this strategy in order to buy time and avoid immediate conflict. By choosing to not carry out immediate conflict, they were led into war they were far more prepared for. The second reason why