Examples of appeasement before WWII

Absolutely! Let's get you exam-ready. Here's a concise study guide on appeasement before WWII, followed by some practice questions to test your knowledge.

Quick Study Guide: Appeasement Before WWII

• What is Appeasement? A diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict.
• Key Players: Primarily British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and, to a lesser extent, France.
• Main Aggressors: Adolf Hitler (Nazi Germany), Benito Mussolini (Fascist Italy), Imperial Japan.
• Motivations for Appeasement:
  • Fear of Another War: Memories of WWI's devastation were still fresh.
  • Economic Depression: Nations were financially depleted and couldn't afford a large-scale war.
  • Belief in Treaty of Versailles Unfairness: Some felt Germany had been treated too harshly.
  • Desire for a Strong Germany: As a bulwark against Soviet Communism.
  • Lack of Military Readiness: Especially in Britain and France.
• Key Examples of Appeasement:
  • 1931: Manchurian Crisis: Japan invades Manchuria (China). The League of Nations condemned but took no effective action, setting a precedent for international inaction.
  • 1935: Italian Invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia): Italy invades. The League of Nations imposed weak economic sanctions, which were largely ignored, showing the League's ineffectiveness.
  • 1936: Remilitarization of the Rhineland: Hitler sends German troops into the demilitarized Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles and Locarno Treaties. Britain and France protested but took no military action.
  • 1938: The Anschluss: Germany annexes Austria. No significant international resistance was offered.
  • 1938: Sudetenland Crisis & Munich Agreement: Hitler demands the German-speaking Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Britain (Chamberlain) and France agreed to this demand at the Munich Conference, believing it would secure "peace for our time." Czechoslovakia was not consulted.
  • 1939: Invasion of the Rest of Czechoslovakia: Hitler violates the Munich Agreement by occupying the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia, making it clear his ambitions went beyond uniting German speakers. This definitively ended the policy of appeasement for Britain and France.
• Consequences: Emboldened aggressive dictators, failed to prevent war, ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II.

Practice Quiz

1. Which British Prime Minister is most famously associated with the policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany?

1. Winston Churchill
2. Clement Attlee
3. Neville Chamberlain
4. Harold Macmillan

2. The Munich Agreement, a major act of appeasement in 1938, primarily concerned Germany's demand for territory from which country?

1. Poland
2. Austria
3. France
4. Czechoslovakia

3. What event in 1936 saw Hitler defy the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops into a demilitarized zone, met with no significant military response from Western powers?

1. The Anschluss
2. The invasion of Poland
3. The Remilitarization of the Rhineland
4. The occupation of the Sudetenland

4. The League of Nations' weak response to Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 is often cited as an early example of the failure of:

1. Bilateral diplomacy
2. Collective security
3. Economic protectionism
4. Naval disarmament

5. One of the primary motivations for Britain and France to pursue appeasement was:

1. To provoke a larger war with Germany
2. To establish new colonial territories
3. To avoid another devastating major war
4. To strengthen their alliances with Italy and Japan

6. The 'Anschluss' refers to Germany's annexation of which independent nation in 1938?

1. Belgium
2. Hungary
3. Austria
4. Switzerland

7. The ultimate failure of appeasement became clear when Hitler invaded the remaining parts of which nation in March 1939, just months before the outbreak of WWII?

1. Poland
2. Czechoslovakia
3. Denmark
4. Yugoslavia