How Accurate is it to State that the Policy of ‘Appeasement’ Caused the Collapse of International Order in 1939?
Appeasement was a policy adopted by Britain and France in the 1930s to try and satisfy Hitler’s demands. One could argue that appeasement could not have caused World War II because the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 was a contribution among other things. It contained article 231,the War Guilt Clause, which made Germany accept responsibility for World War I. Germans felt extremely angry and resentful about this, and wanted revenge. It effectively isolated Germany from the rest of the world as they wanted nothing to do with Germany. The treaty meant that Germany found it hard to build up its economy again as a result of colonies and land taken away, reparations of £6.6 billion and severe military reductions. The Big Three weren’t entirely happy with the treaty, as France wanted it much harsher whilst Wilson pushed forward his “Fourteen Points”.
The failure of the League of Nations could also be to blame for the collapse of international order. Japan, a major member, could no longer be trusted after its invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Japan had broken the Treaty of Locarno, Kellogg-Briand Pact and the Nine Power Pact. The failure of the disarmament conference in 1932 discredited the League further, and Hitler took Germany out of the League as a result. Italy also turned aggressive with its invasion of Abyssinia in 1935.
