APPEASEMENT

A Political Education or a
Detrimental Implication in the Post-
War Ear?
 Overview
 What is Appeasement?
 Sections of Research and Analysis
 Impact of Appeasement
 Why is this Topic Important to Study?
 Project Form
 What is Appeasement?
 Appeasement has been defined as:
“Giving in to the demands of aggressive powers to
avoid war”
“The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the
hopes of avoiding further conflict”
“A policy of making concessions to an aggressor in
hopes of avoiding war”
 What is Appeasement?
 During the 1930’s, Britain and France
adopted a policy of appeasement
towards Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany,
offering the menacing dictator numerous
concessions in the hope of avoiding a
conflict reminiscent of WW1
 The climax of appeasement occurred at
the Munich Conference in 1938 when
Britain and France granted the Germans
permission to occupy portions of
Czechoslovakia.
 What is Appeasement?
 Allowed Hitler the
opportunity to transform
Germany into a war
machine and gain control
over Central Europe
without a fight
 Appeasement failed,
eventually leading to World
War 2, the most devastating
conflict of our time, which
resulted in an estimated 56
– 61 million deaths
 What is Appeasement?

•The Legacy of appeasement

•The leaders during this timer period,
such as Neville Chamberlain, have been
scorned and ridiculed throughout
history, receiving considerable blame
for the outbreak of war. Is this fair?
•The west openly sacrificed nations in
Eastern Europe to avoid war with
Hitler. Did this influence the attitudes
and actions of the Soviet Union at the
end of the war?
 Sections of Research
 Historiography and general theories regarding
the policy of appeasement
 An analysis and description of the policy of
appeasement in Britain and France throughout
the 1930’s
 The role of the Soviet Union during this time
period, analyzing their reactions to the
appeasement of Nazi Germany
 Historiography
 Traditional Theory – belief that the policy of
appeasement was merely an attempt on behalf of
Britain and France to save themselves by
offering other nations to Germany

“How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we

should be digging trenches and trying on gas-
masks here because of a quarrel in a far-away
country between people of whom we know
nothing!” – Neville Chamberlain, 1938
 Historiography
 Revisionist Theory – more sympathetic
towards Britain and France, arguing that they
were fighting to maintain their dieing empires
while simultaneously attempting to reinstate a
“balance-of-power” system throughout
Europe, excluding the Soviet Union
 Analysis and Description
Britain and France
 An in-depth analysis and description of the causes,
motivations, political actions and reactions,
discussions, debates and political policies of Britain
and France during appeasement
 Includes heads of state, government officials,
ambassadors, foreign ministers, politicians, and most
importantly, ordinary citizens
 Inability of the capitalist west and communist east to
cast aside their differences and come to an agreement
to in order to counter Hitler
 Role of the Soviet Union

Hitler’s regime was

fanatically anti-
communist, anti-Slavic,
and anti-Semitic. His
plans for world
domination were
oriented towards the
east, something the
Soviet Union was well
aware of during his
ascendancy to power
 Role of the Soviet Union

•What was the Soviet Union’s

response to the West’s policy of
appeasement towards Hitler’s Nazi
Germany?

•Did the attitudes maintained by

Western European nations during this
time period influence the Cold War?
 Impact of Appeasement
 Following the end of World War 2, the United States
formulated its foreign policy based in accordance
with the lessons the world had learned from the
policy of appeasement during the 1930’s. As a result,
the U.S. adapted an aggressive policy of action to
prevent the failures of appeasement from reoccurring
 The effects of appeasement on U.S. foreign policy
has been apparent for several decades, and is still
influencing diplomatic decisions in today’s world
 An example of the U.S. anti-appeasement policy is
the Vietnam War
 Why is this Subject Important to
Study?
Prior to the outbreak of war with Iraq in 2002,
politicians, government officials, and numerous TV
analysts compared Saddam Hussein with Adolf Hitler,
warning against the dangers of “appeasing” him
Why is this Subject so Important to
Study?
 “History proved that Churchill was right. If
the appeasers of our own day are wrong, then
Saddam Hussein continues Hitler’s quest to
eradicate the world of Jews and terrorize the
planet with the threat of, now, nuclear
annihilation. The United States is the only
country that CAN stop Saddam Hussein before
that terrifying possibility becomes a horrific,
unstoppable reality.”
Why is this Subject so Important to
Study?
 “Hussein is the brute that threatens not only his
continent, but the entire civilized world. And after two
world wars, one would expect the public’s reaction to
[the] unprovoked attacks on New York and Washington
to elicit an appropriately autonomic response of no less
than pre-emptive self-defense against the source of
those attacks. But, quite the contrary, there is a growing
peace movement in Europe, Canada and the United
States calling for ‘temperance,’ ‘patience’ and yes, even
appeasement of Saddam Hussein.
 Why is this Subject Important to
Study?
 Studying appeasement is essential to the problems
that will inevitably arise in the future
 History teaches us lessons, providing us with the
opportunity to analyze certain scenarios that have
presented themselves
 Does the legacy of appeasement still impact the
diplomacy, foreign policy and international relations
of the United States?
 Is the policy of appeasement justifiably comparable
to the events in today’s world?
What Will This Project Look Like?
 After a period of extensive research and detailed
analysis, this project will take the form of a polished
and in-depth research paper
 This project can be accomplished at UNCW
 A wealth of primary and secondary source material
pertaining to this subject is available at Randall
Library. This includes memoirs, microfilm, personal
letters, testimonies, diaries, official correspondences,
state and government documents