How Did Appeasement Work in Practice?
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement, 1935
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement, 1935
In April 1935, Britain, France and Italy entered into an agreement called the Stresa Front.
The nations agreed to:
Oppose Hitler’s foreign policy
Challenge Hitler if he attempted to break the Treaty of Versailles
By June, the Stresa Front agreement had broken
The Abyssinian Crisis worsened Italy’s relationship with Britain and France
Britain and Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
This agreement was the first attempt at appeasement
It gave concessions to Germany’s navy to limit Hitler’s aggression
Date | Terms | Impacts |
|---|---|---|
June 1935 | Germany to have a navy 35% the size of the British Royal Navy Germany allowed to develop submarines. They can only have 45% of the submarines that Britain possesses A guarantee of Britain’s naval supremacy | The agreement broke the Treaty of Versailles and the Stresa Front It showed that Britain wanted to protect itself rather than protect Europe from Hitler |
Was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement a Success for Appeasement?
Anschluss, 1938
Anschluss, 1938
Many Austrians supported the idea of Anschluss because:
The majority of Austrians, around 98%, spoke German
They felt that Austria had a weak economy without Germany
There was a strong Nazi Party in Austria
By March 1938, Hitler had united Austria with Germany unopposed
Crowds on that March 12 included the unconvinced and the skeptical, as well as the curious. People gathered as if drawn by a magnet; but their presence did not endorse the new political environment, nor did it contradict the findings of recent government polls [that between 65 and 70% of Austrians wanted to retain independence from Germany] |
An extract from When Hitler Took Austria (2008). The author of the book is Kurt von Schuschnigg, the son of the former Austrian Chancellor |
Was Anschluss a Success for Appeasement?
The Sudeten Crisis and the Munich Conference, 1938
The Sudeten Crisis and the Munich Conference, 1938
Hitler wanted to gain the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia for Germany because:
After Anschluss, Germany bordered Czechoslovakia on three sides
Claiming Czechoslovakia would protect Germany from invasion
The Sudetenland had rich mineral resources and the Skoda armament factory
This would help Germany’s armament industry
The Sudetenland had fortifications
By claiming this area, it would make invading the whole of Czechoslovakia easier for Hitler
Over 3.5 million Germans lived in the Sudetenland
The Sudeten Germans claimed that the Czech government mistreated them
Hitler would continue to achieve his foreign policy aims of Grossdeutchland and Lebensraum
In 1938, Hitler began his attempt to claim Czechoslovakia
What was the Sudeten Crisis?
The Munich Conference
Representatives from Italy, Britain, France and Germany attended the conference
Czechoslovakia was not invited to the meeting
This made the meeting unfair from the start
The USSR were not involved in the conference
This created distrust between the USSR and the Western powers
The Munich Agreement
The four nations (Italy, Britain, France and Germany) developed the Munich Agreement on 30th September 1938
These were terms agreed by Hitler to avoid war
The Munich Agreement stated that:
Hitler would gain the Sudetenland
Czechoslovakia would keep the rest of their territory
The Munich Agreement was controversial because:
Czechoslovakia had to accept the terms
Hungary and Poland also claimed areas of Czechoslovakia
Poland gained Teschen in October 1938
Hitler marched into the Sudetenland on 1st October 1938
Was the Munich Agreement a Success for Appeasement?
The Munich agreement gives Hitler everything he wants (to begin with) … All the misery and outrage that followed the German occupation of Vienna are now certain to follow the German occupation of the Sudetenland. Prague has, even now, begun to fill with refugees – Sudeten German Socialists, Jews, not to speak of Czechs – which is natural enough, seeing that for months the German newspapers, wireless, and Hitler himself have referred to the Czechs in terms that have been one prolonged incitement to acts of violence and oppression. |
An editorial in the Manchester Guardian on 1st October 1938. It states a negative opinion of the Munich Agreement, especially due to its impact on Czechoslovakia |
Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1939
Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1939
By March 1939, Hitler gained the rest of Czechoslovakia
Hitler demanded the Czech government surrender control of Czechoslovakia
Failure to do this would result in the Luftwaffe bombing Prague
On 15th March, Hitler marched into Prague
He succeeded in encouraging Slovakia to declare independence
Hitler could not defend his actions to claim the whole of Czechoslovakia
There was no German-speaking population in the land he claimed
Hitler intended to increase Germany’s power
The invasion of Czechoslovakia ended the policy of appeasement
Chamberlain stated on 17th March that he could no longer trust Hitler
Britain and France looked to protect vulnerable countries in Europe from Hitler
