Appeasement 

By/ Matthew J 
and 
Josh A
 What Is Appeasement?
Appeasement is:        
 
– "The policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and 
satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and compromise 
..."(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeasement) 
–  "The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes of 
avoiding further conflict." 
– (www.unitedpagans.com/classes/mod/glossary/view.php)
– "The policy of giving in to the demands of a hostile or aggressive 
power in an attempt to keep the peace."  
(http://www.yourdictionary.com/appeasement)
 
Appeasement is the giving of something to someone
which thy want, in order to try and prevent them 
from wanting any more.
 The Appeasement Of Hitler   
• After joining with Austria (Anschluss) Hitler decided
that he wanted to take over the Sudatenland as the
Germans who lived there wanted to be apart of
Germany.
• However, the Czechs who lived along side
them revolted against the idea, and so Hitler
threatened to invade anyway.
• It was at this time , September, 1938, that Neville
Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, arranged to
meet with Hitler and try and appease him by getting
him to sign an agreement, know as the Munich
agreement, to prevent another world war.
• The agreement signed by Hitler allowed him to have
the entire Sudatenland as he had demanded.
• It was the act of appeasement, by giving Hitler what he
wanted, that prolonged the threat of war until 1939,
when Hitler invaded the rest of Czechkoslovakia.
Left: Hitler and 
the Nazi party's 
ideology on what 
Germany and its 
people should be 
like.
Below: Neville 
Chamberlain, 
British Prime 
Minister from 
1937 ­ 1940
 Reasons for
Appeasement
• No on wanted a repeat of the First World War as many families had either lost
somone they loved or someone they knew, and many families would still have
been grieving or trying to rebuild their lives. The use of Appeasement towards
Hitler gave time for this reformation and eliminated the threat of war to a
certain degree. Also, it gave Britain time to re-arm.
• After the Treaty Of Versailles enforced such harsh restrictions on Germany
and its people ( the reparation bill of £6600 million ) many people though that
by letting HItler have what he wanted, for his Germany, it would compensate
for the strictness of the Treaty's terms. In a way, it gave Germany back a little
more of its freedom and allowed it to partially recover from WW1. The
Appeasement was, in a way, breaking the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
• As they were unable to protect the countries that layed in Hitler's path, such
as Poland and Czechkoslavia, Britain and France though that by Appeasing
Hitler they would eliminate the threat of communism from Russia/USSR, by
allowing Germany to become strong and oppose Stalin.
 Reasons Against Appeasement 
• The people of Czechkoslovakia who didnt want Hitler to invade 
had no say in what should happen to their country. Many people 
saw the giving of land to appease someone as not just wrong, but 
morally wrong aswell. It wasn't right to decide the fate of 
another country and its people, when the country wasn't yours, 
as Britain and France did, which led to not just Czechkoslovakia 
being invaded but Poland aswell.
•  Allowing Hitler to have the land he wanted, not only boosted 
the people of Germany's faith in him, but also boosted Hitler 
himself's confidence ,which therefore, gave him more power and 
made him more feared. This wasn't good, as the appeasement 
fueled Hitler's desire for German greatness and permitted him to 
gain 'Lebensraum' ( living­space ) for his people.
 Interpretations Of Appeasement 
Over Time:
• Tradition Historian ( Cato ) 1940/50's ­ He thought 
Appeasement was a bad idea due to it having failed in the effort to 
prevent WW2 .
• Revisionist ( ASP Taylor ) 1950's ­ He thought that 
Appeasement was the bect course of action to have chosen at the 
time of the Czechkoslovakian crisis.
• Counter­ Revisionist ( McDonough ) 1990's ­ He thought that 
the Appeasement shown towards Hitler at that particular point in 
history could have been shown better and much stronger, despite the 
fact Britain and France were still recovering from the effects of 
WW1.
 
 
 Links For Further Reading
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chamberlain_arthur_nevill
e.shtml
             ( Brief History of the life of Neville Chmaberlain )
• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm
             ( Brief History of Hitler's life and political career )
•  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/chamberlain
andappeasementrev1.shtml
             ( Summary of the Appeasement that was shown towards Hitler )
• http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/public_opinion_and_appeasement_i
.htm
            ( The publics' opinion of Appeasement at the time­1938 )