The Anglo- French Policy of Appeasement (1921- 1939)

 

The Anglo- French Policy of Appeasement (1921- 1939)

 

 

 

Meaning.

 

Appeasement was a foreign policy practiced by Britain and France in the 1930’s by which they yielded to the demands of aggressive nations such as Germany, Italy and Japan in order to avoid war. In other words, it was a. conscious effort to,prevent war^...by removing the causes of tensions. Concessions were given to the aggressive nations even when this was a violation of international agreements. Britain and refused to declare war even in the face of naked aggression. The British Prime minister Chamberlain was the apostle of appeasement.

 

 

Reasons Why Britain and France Practised a Policy of Appeasement.

 

 

1. The horrors of the First World War and the failure of Western intervention in the Russian Revolution made Britain and France to come to the conclusion that nothing could be solved by war.
2. It was practiced because of the pacifist public opinion, that is, public opinion in Europe did not want war.
3. Appeasement was practiced because of the fear of communism. They believed that communism was a greater danger to Western Europe than Nazism and Fascism.
4. Britain and France believed that since the League of Nations was weak and helpless, the only way to settle disputes was by personal contacts.kelween leaders or appeasement.
5. At first Hitler’s aggression was limited to what was legitimately German. For example, the Rhineland and Sudetenland were inhabited by Germans.
6. It was believed that the aggressors had limited and genuine demands and that these demands could be met by negotiations.
7. Chamberlain had false assessment of Hitler and saw Hitler as someone who could easily be pushed into war.
8. Britain and France appeased Mussolini in the hope of maintaining his friends) ip against Hitler.
9. It was because Britain had nothing to loose since most of the concessions granted were out of her sphere of interest.
10. The Anglo- French military unpreparedness in the 1930’s also made them to practice a policy of appeasement.

 

 

Manifestations or How Appeasement was Practiced.

 

 

1. In 1931 Japan attacked and occupied the Chinese province of Manchuria but no sanctions nor military action was taken against Japan.
2. In 1934, Hitler started the rearmament of Germany when he announced that he was going to build the German armed forces to 36 divisions, i.e 600,000 soldiers which was the first violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
3. In 1935, the Anglo- German Naval Treaty was signed by which Britain recognized Germany’s right to build a naval force equal to 35% that of Britain.
4. In 1936 Italy invaded Abyssinia but Britain and France instead went into secret negotiations
   were Mussonili. The sanctions that later imposed on him were half- hearted.
5. In 1936, Hitler sent troops to the demilitarized Rhineland, another violation of the Treaty of
   Versailles but no action was taken.
6. Apart from verbal protest Britain did not take action against Germany when Germany annex Austria.
7. At the Munich Conference of 1938 Chamberlian, Deladie and. Mussolini Yielded to Hitler’s
   demands and handed the Suddetenland of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. This Paved the way for Hitler to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia.