Britain

• Hitler admired the British monarchy, traditions and values. He was keen to become allies and in 1936 suggested a non-aggression pact that would last for 25 years
• Some politicians wanted to cooperate with Hitler to avoid or postpone a war; they needed time to rearm, raise funds and persuade the British public that they had to fight, but they had no plan to sign up to an official alliance
• Neville Chamberlain, Britain's prime minister from 1937 to 1940, adopted a policy of appeasement - giving Hitler what he wanted in the hope of stopping a full-scale war
• Many people felt that the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh and Germany should be allowed to reclaim what it lost
• Some took a stronger stance: Winston Churchill believed that appeasement was a mistake
• In the Locarno Treaty Britain agreed on a policy of supporting non-aggression between France and Germany. However after the remilitarisation of the Rhineland, the British strengthened their agreement with France and Belgium
• Britain was quite likely to stand up to Hitler in the event of things going south