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Response to Hitler: Appeasement - Coggle Diagram
Response to Hitler: Appeasement
Political Principles
Memory of WW1 was too recent for any politician to want to fight again
They would likely receive little support from their people
Did not want to lose favor and jobs
Concept of national self-determination justified German territorial claims
Many believed that they were justified in demands
Believed that Treaty of Versailles was unjust and ought to be overturned anyway
German grievances over Treaty of Versailles not seen as threatening
Britain hardly had any support, not backed by any countries
Eastern states unreliable and vulnerable
USA isolationist, due to the election of Roosevelt, and USSR unpredictable
France desperate to avoid war, prepared to fight a defensive war rather than a foreign one
Britain confronted by rising threats from Italy, Germany, Japan all at once
Britain very underprepared for war with all three
Economic Principles
WW1 expenses still crippling nations, including Britain
British National debt was 6142 million pounds in 1919
British recovery dependent on international trade, making peace essential
Much pressure to cut military spending, rearmament seeming to lead to economic ruin
Military Principles
British resources already overstretched by imperial and world commitments
Britain very underprepared for war
Chief of British General Staff advised Chamberlain in 1938 that Britain was so underprepared and unarmed that "we should go to any lengths to put off the struggle"
RAF had just 6 squadrons of modern fighters and only 48 obsolete bombers
RAF fighters, the Spitfire and the Hurricane, only entered service in 1939
Therefore the RAF was unprepared to face Germany until 1939
Shortcomings and Problems
Needed to operate on the basis of strength
Neither France nor Britain were militarily strong enough to do much
Appeasement came to be associated with weakness
Allowed Germany to grow stronger
Encouraged Hitler to be agressive
Pacifist pressure on British politicians tied their hands
They could not take military action without the support of the people
Unnecessary fear of aerial bombing contributed to this
Political Divisions undermined options and divided responses
Many more afraid of communism than fascisms, some still wanted to make alliances with Fascists so as to stop communism
Scared Russia, as it though Britain wanted Germany to invade them
Appeasement involved placing the Grievances of Germany other those of other countries
Unfair and may have caused distrust with smaller countries at the time