Ms Diyana guided us through the policy of appeasement, explaining why - and how - Britain and France gave in so easily to Hitler's demands. Instead of deterring him, this only made him bolder and resulted in the eventual outbreak of WWII.

1. CHAPTER 4.1
Outbreak of WWII in
Europe

2. Primary Objective
Among the factors leading to the outbreak of
WWII in Europe, which is more significant:
Hitler’s expansionist policy or the policy of
appeasement?

3. Agenda
1. Recap Hitler’s expansionist policy
2. Intro to Appeasement policy

4. Recall
 What are some of Hitler’s aims?
 What are the events leading up to the outbreak of
WWII? (from 1933-1939)

5. Expansionist policy
1. 1933-34 Rearmament & Conscription
2. 1936 Remilitarization of Rhineland
3. 1937 Spanish Civil War
4. 1938 Annex of Austria – Creation of ‘Anschluss’
5. 1938 Munich Agreement & Sudetenland
6. 1938 Invasion of Czechoslovakia
7. 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact
8. 1939 Invasion of Poland

6. Think about it!
Hitler’s actions are clearly going against TOV but
what did Britain and France do to handle the
situation?

7. Appeasement Policy
 What does it mean?
 What does it mean to Germany?
 What does it mean to Britain and France?

8. Watch
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSwGQxo7G
E
 Answer the guiding questions in the worksheet.

9. Know the definition!
Appeasement describes a policy where
negotiations and concessions are made to
avoid war.

10. Know the main characters!

11. Appeasement
policy
6 Reasons 3 Examples

12. Reasons for appeasement policy
1. Fear of another war
2. Weakness of LON
3. Buying time to rearm
4. Genuine sympathy for Germany over TOV
5. Chamberlain’s misjudgement of Hitler
6. Fear of communism

13. 1. Fear of another war
B + F suffered greatly from WWI and Great Dep ->
militarily not prepared -> people are against war ->
still traumatized over WWI
2. Weakness of LON
Main aim to achieve peace -> proves the league to be
a failure -> adopted their own solution ->
appeasement
Reasons for appeasement policy

14. 3. Buying time to rearm
B + F needed time to rebuild their army, economy,
confidence -> due to WWI ->not ready for war so
appease Hitler in the time being -> cowardly act?
4. Genuine sympathy for Germany
B felt sympathetic over the unfairness of TOV ->
Chamberlain willing to give Germans self-
determination -> Hitler becomes bolder
Reasons for appeasement policy

15. 5. Chamberlain’s misjudgment of Hitler
C thought it is all about un-doing TOV ->
underestimated H’s promises -> Munich agreement
+ invasion of Czech AND Poland -> wake-up call for
C -> is it too late now to say sorry?
6. Fear of Communism
B + F sees Germany as a potential ally against
Communism -> this threat was prioritized more than
Hitler’s invasion and breaking of promises
Reasons for appeasement policy

16. Think about it!
Look at the reasons why Britain appeased Hitler.
Choose 1 reason and write down why this might
have led Chamberlain to feel that he needed to give
way to Hitler’s demands? (3mins)

17. What can we infer about Hitler’s actions?

18. What does the source says about
Britain and France?
The writing says: ‘Why should
we take a stand about someone
pushing someone else when its
all so far away?’
Created by the British
cartoonist; David Low in 1938

19. Examples of appeasement
1. Anglo-German Naval Agreement
2. Lack of action against Hitler’s aggression
3. ***Munich Agreement

20. 1. Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Starting point of appeasement -> creates a new
agreement which overwrites the TOV -> response to
conscription and rearmament -> appeasing Hitler ->
why?
2. Lack of action against Hitler’s aggression
Withdrawal from LON + remilitarise Rhineland +
Anschluss + Invasion of Czechoslovakia -> snowball
into Hitler becoming more daring as B & F did
nothing
Examples of appeasement

22. What is Chamberlain trying to do?

23. 3. ***Munich Agreement
Concerning an area that H wants in order to
establish a Greater Germany -> Sudetenland is
largely Germans + influence of Nazi Party -> H
willing to fight for Sudetenland -> H signed the
agreement with F, B, I w/o USSR and
Czechoslovakia in Oct 1938 -> H invaded the whole
of Czechoslovakia in March 1939! -> B + F feared for
H invading Poland.
Examples of appeasement

24. Your thoughts….
Was the policy of appeasement cowardly or
logical? (5 mins)
1. Write down on the colored paper provided and fold
it before putting it in the box.
2. The best 5 writings will receive something.