Appeasement

Neville Chamberlain was British Prime Minister in the 1930s. He has been treated badly by history for his policy of appeasement. This was where he gave in to Hitler's demands for land in order to stop war. Time was to prove him wrong. But should he be judged in this way?

Chamberlain returns with his 'scrap of paper'. After talking to Hitler he said "This will mean Peace in our times". See below for a view of the letter.

Chamberlain had lost his brother in the First World War. Like many others the horrors of war were something he was determined not to face again. He tried to make sure that he did everything and anything to maintain peace.

People like Churchill said he was a weak man and bullies like Hitler take advantage of weakness. When war broke out in 1939 the public turned against him.

Was this fair? Well, most was happy with his policies before 1939 and public opinion was to avoid war, spend money on social policy such as housing etc. When Chamberlain returned from Munich on 30th September 1938 with a promise from Hitler to keep peace, he was welcomed as a hero.

Having made these points, you could argue that Hitler's actions since 1936 (The remilitarising of the Rhineland,  the Anschlus with Austria, Czechoslovakia etc.) should have been clear for anyone to see. So it us up you to use this information and decide. In the GCSE the most important issue is that you are aware of the arguments for and against appeasement.