Examine the main factors, which led British governments to follow a policy of 'appeasement' in the period 1931-38

DIVESH PARMAR U5S

BRITISH APPEASEMENT 1931-39

ASSIGNMENT 1: OBJECTIVE 1

Examine the main factors, which led British governments to follow a policy of ‘appeasement’ in the period 1931-38

In the period 1931-38, there were several reasons that the policy of ‘appeasement’ was taken up by the British government. There were both long and short-term reasons that contributed. The most important, I believe was Britain’s belief in Pacifism. The public could not support the war in terms of soldiers, and the government could not support a war financially. So it was in Britain’s self interest to appease Hitler.

Many of the British politicians feared another World War. Due to conscription, the majority of people had lost relatives to the war. World War 1 was a war of attrition and many had lost fathers, husbands, sons, or brothers. Surveys showed that 60% of the British men would not volunteer in the event of a war. Many believed that war was in direct disagreement with what the bible sad. The population of Britain did not support another war which would lead to another catastrophic loss of life. Because of the increased fear of war, the British put blind faith in the strength and power of the League of Nations. When in 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria, the League refused to do something about it; startling its supporters, and enemies alike. Great Britain still supported the League.

Most considered the Treaty of Versailles overly harsh and the War Guilt Clause had caused much controversy. The German people had been condemned to a life of poverty, and the British did not oppose their ‘need’ for more space. They did not see anything wrong with the Germans uniting with Austria (Anschluss) or their feeling of vulnerability, due to no arms allowed.

The war had left Britain especially poor. The standard of living had fallen drastically and the citizens had helped to pay for their country’s defence. The British government could not afford to go to war. The cost of ammunition, arms, fuel, and soldiers’ pay, was too much. At the end of the 19th century, the British Empire was at its strongest, and largest. Britain could not maintain a defence of these countries, and would have to leave them to defend themselves. The Armed Forces had been stretched to its limits in the 1st world war, and they could not survive against the large armies of Hitler.

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Britain, at that moment, had very few allies. The USA maintained a policy of ‘isolationism’. France had been divided and had suffered the brunt of the attack in the First World War. Communism was the ‘real enemy’, not Hitler. Britain had to appease 2 of their 3 rivals (Germany, Italy, and Japan), because they could not afford to hold a war with 2 of them. So in an effort to keep Mussolini ‘on-side’ over Abyssinia, Chamberlain gave into him and let him have it. After the Munich Conference, When Chamberlain went to the Munich Conference in September 1938; he knew that the Royal Air Force needed another year to finish producing the new air defences, and the squadrons of Hurricanes. During the 1930’s Britain was mainly concerned with recovering from the Great Depression so rearmament and war was not a priority. Chamberlain was not in a position to oppose the Germans or to start another war. Neither the government, nor the general British public would be willing to support the war they had only just recovered from one world war, and the people had sacrificed many lives to defeat the Germans once. Now, it was in Britain’s interest to appease the Germans to avoid the terrible Luftwaffe bombers, and the death of thousands of conscripted men.

Word Count: 614

ASSIGNMENT 1: OBJECTIVE 2

Why did Chamberlain sign the Munich Agreement on September 30th 1938?

By 1938, appeasement had evolved from a pacifist ideal to a realist proposition. When Chamberlain set out to Munich on September 30th 1938, he had one main objective; to avoid war. Great Britain was not in a position to fight another costly war. They had several problems in their way. For example, their defenses were not ready yet; Britain was in the process of developing the world’s first radar system but it would not be ready for 12 months. Another problem that they faced was that their once-modern air force had been made redundant as technology had advanced. Chamberlain’s Royal Air Force Commander needed another 12 months to finish updating the air force. Chamberlain was playing for time. In September 1938, Britain had only 6 Hurricane Squadrons. Their air power lay in outdated biplanes. Hurricanes were rolling of production queues as they spoke, but were no where near defensive strength. By September 1939, as the RAF Commander predicted, Britain had 36 Hurricane squadrons.

Another key problem was their financial status. Germany had come out of the Great Depression rapidly, unlike Britain who had struggled. Britain was not in a strong position, and could not support a war. By appeasing Hitler, they maintained trade with a strong country, boosting their economy.

Chamberlain, leading a democratic state, had to do what was in the interest of the people and due to the lack of public support for another war; Chamberlain was forced to appease Hitler. Surveys had shown that 60% of the country’s men would not enlist themselves into the army voluntarily. The citizens of London were afraid of the German Luftwaffe. The theory that the ‘bomber would always get through’ scared the population to the extent that the Londoners believed that they would be killed in a raid against them. Guernika was a model example of how ruthless the Luftwaffe was.

Before going to Munich, Hitler had promised that this was his last territorial demand. Chamberlain believed that Hitler could be trusted. Or did he? Either way, there were enough reasons to appease Hitler. Although the Sudetenland was part of Czechoslovakia, the people living there spoke German, and were ethnically German and the people there wanted to be reunited with the Vaterland. Czechoslovakia was also impossible to defend, and there would be no way for the British to help in the protection or the defense of Czechoslovakia before a German invasion. Chamberlain could have known all this, or he could have been ignorant of the Czech’s defensive capabilities. Czechoslovakia did not have the financial or militarily capabilities to defend itself against a country like Germany.

As you can see there are many reasons why it was in Britain’s best interest to appease Hitler. Chamberlain knew that country could not defend itself against the might of Hitler’s armies.

Word Count: 475

ASSIGNMENT 1: OBJECTIVE 3

Why did Britain go to war over Poland in September 1939?

In September 1939, Britain’s policy of appeasement had been stretched too far. After continuing to appease Hitler throughout the 1930’s, Chamberlain finally decided to take a firmer line of action.

Hitler had promised that after the Munich Conference of 1938, there would be no more territorial demands. Subsequently, he had demanded Danzig, and the rest of the Polish Corridor which had separated Germany from East Prussia.

After Munich, Hitler’s actions had led to a shift in opinion in Great Britain; slowly Hitler had taken more and more - first Memel and then Bohemia-Moravia. Treaties such as the Pact of Steel- an agreement between Italy and Germany declaring that the two counties would, in the event of war support each other- strengthened the argument against Hitler. The Russo – German non-aggression Pact showed that Hitler was trying to get as many allies as possible in order to fight his enemies outside his own territory. The sudden takeovers and pacts had led the majority of the population to turn against Hitler; the British pity had been converted against him. After the conference, Hitler had been taunting and mocking the British, calling them weak and ‘spineless’. Hitler had distorted what had been said at Munich, saying that under the pressure, Chamberlain had crumbled, and given into Hitler demands. On 9 November 1938 the British were horrified by Hitler’s Kristallnacht. On this day, British sympathy faded completely, and around the country an anti-German tide began to swell after Hitler’s racist strikes.

Hitler’s reasons for invading certain parts of Europe were patriotic, and supposedly only to defend his country. He had assumed that although Britain said she would go to war over the invasion of Poland, Chamberlain had said the same thing about Czechoslovakia. The declaration of war had startled him, as he had presumed that England was bluffing.

Strategists had predicted that Hitler’s current rate of takeover in Europe, it would eventually lead to the invasion of Britain. Chamberlain had promised Hitler the Sudetenland, and even though he had taken the entire country, Britain did nothing. But they had realised that Britain was ultimately on Hitler’s ‘hit-list’. Therefore Chamberlain wanted to keep the war on the European mainland. So he made the declaration that if Hitler invaded Poland, he would have no choice but to go to war. By September 1939, Britain’s air-defences had been enhanced, and they were ready to defend themselves. The RADAR, fighter squadrons, air raid facilities, and the BEF (British Expedionary Force) were now all ready, and limited conscription had been introduced, through the recommendation of the Committee of Imperial Defence. But it was not as if the British people had suddenly realised that the bombing would be lessened, but it the casualties and loss of homes were now more acceptable.

Chamberlain knew that eventually Hitler would strike the British Isles, and he preferred to keep on the mainland of Europe. When Poland was finally invaded by the Germans, he decided that this was the best possible time to declare war.

Word Count: 450

Total Word Count: 1529