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Factors that Motivated Britain and France to Adopt a Policy of Appeasement in the 1930s

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Factors that Motivated Britain and France to Adopt a Policy of Appeasement in the 1930s
Factors that Motivated Britain and France to Adopt a Policy of Appeasement during the 1930s
This paper will take a critical look into what the policy of appeasement was about, the factors that led Britain and France to adopt it, its advantages, disadvantages, and the impact it had on the World War 2. The policy of appeasement is a diplomatic policy that allowed enemies to find a common ground with one another to avoid war. The term was very common after the World War I because no country wanted to be involved in another war. The consequences of the First World War threw Europe into economic, political and social instability. Britain and France were not prepared for another war as their economies were in bad shape following the great depression on Wall Street crash. The First World War had left various undesirable impacts in the world. Moreover, amongst a genuine desire for peace, there was always the old British desire that no single party should rule Europe.
The policy of appeasement
There were a few important historical events that happened before the policy was realized. The first historical event was the discussion between Chamberlain and Hitler over Czechoslovakia. The Treaty of Versailles restricted Germany and Austria to form any kind of political union after the World War I. However, Hitler had his own plans. He wanted to reunite Austria and Germany when he came into power, thereby disregarding the Treaty of Versailles.
Hitler demanded Austria to include Nazi’s Austrians into government to ensure that they were treated well. There was chaos in Austria after a while. Hitler requested the then leader to step down or face forceful invasion by Germany. Britain was not pleased by this move. Although the people of Austria were pleased by the invasion of the German troops into Austria as a way of controlling the country, Germany had breached the Treaty of Versailles. This period is normally referred to as the Anschluss.
The Munich period was famous because



Bibliography: Aldred, J, British imperial and foreign policy, 1846-1980, Oxon, Heinemann Educational Publishers, 2004. Bosworth, RJB, Italy and the wider world: 1860-1960, New York, Routledge Digital Publication, 2005. Lynch, C, Beyond appeasement: Interpreting interwar peace movements in world politics, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2007. Self, RC, Neville Chamberlain: A biography, England, Ashgate Publishing, 2006 Stedman, AD, Alternatives to appeasement: Neville Chamberlain and Hitler 's Germany, New York, Tauris Academic Studies, 2012. Waters, C, Australia and appeasement: Imperial foreign policy and the origins of world appeasement, London, I.B Tauris & Co, 2012 Wrigley, C, A companion to early twentieth-century Britain, Malden, Blackwell, 2003.

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