Why Did the British Mass Media support the appeasement of Hitler in the years 1933-1939?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 6 essays on Modern European History, 1789-1945 that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

History of Journalism - Essay 2

Why Did the British Mass Media support the appeasement of Hitler in the years 1933-1939?

Appeasement was the conciliatory policy adopted by Britain and France towards the aggressive foreign policy of Nazi Germany in the years preceding the Second World War. In Britain it is normally associated with the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain but was also followed by Stanley Baldwin. It has been argued by historians such as Richard Cockett that the press in Britain was manipulated by Whitehall - especially during Chamberlain's years as Prime Minister - to publish only pro-appeasement articles and news and therefore "no alternative to the policy of appeasement was ever consistently articulated in the press."1 It is indeed partly true that Chamberlain was a master of press manipulation and the BBC broadcasts were closely monitored by the Foreign Office. However it would be incorrect to assume that all of the press was pro-appeasement and there were dissenting voices. One must also examine in part the role that Hitler played in attempting to control the news that foreign correspondents in Germany sent back to their publications.

In order to examine why some publications such as The