Britain's Policy of Appeasement

• Arguments for appeasement

  • Many people believed Germany had been treated too harshly by the Treaty of Versailles, and were therefore willing to accept Hitler's earlier actions.
  • 1930s were a time of depression, and people were struggling with unemployment and poverty. Events taking place in Germany seemed far away.
  • The British government wanted to avoid a war as it would be costly
• Arguments against appeasement

  • Chamberlain followed the policy of appeasement in the hope that war could be avoided. He hoped that Hitler would be reasonable, and for this reason, gave in to many of his demands. However, this made Britain look weak, which made Hitler more confident that he could keep demanding more.
  • Each act of appeasement allowed Hitler to become stronger politically, economically and territorially.
  • Politicians, such as Winston Churchill, wanted to see an end to the policy.
• The horrors of the First World War were still clearly in the minds of many British people in the early 1930s. Many wanted to avoid another war at all costs, and if this meant giving in to Hitler's demands, then so be it.