Question

How did the Anglo-French policy of appeasement contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War?

Answer 1

1. The Anglo-French policy of appeasement was based on avoiding war by making concessions to aggressive powers, particularly Nazi Germany. Britain and France believed that Hitler’s demands were limited and reasonable, and they hoped to maintain peace in Europe.
2. In 1936, they did not act when Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland. In 1938, they allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland through the Munich Pact, without consulting Czechoslovakia. They also did not oppose the Anschluss with Austria.
3. These actions encouraged Hitler to take bigger risks, believing he would face no resistance. When Hitler occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939, it became clear that his aims were unlimited. Still, no action was taken.
4. Appeasement ultimately failed to stop Hitler’s aggression and convinced him that he could invade Poland without consequence. When Germany invaded Poland on 1st September 1939, Britain and France finally declared war, thus beginning the Second World War.