Why Would Anyone Want to Appease Hitler?

Key Takeaways

Appeasement was a UK and French policy to avoid World War II by conceding to Hitler's demands.
Early German expansion, including Rhineland remilitarization and the Anschluss, met little international resistance.
The Munich Agreement failed as Hitler quickly violated his promises, invading Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Post-WWI military weakness, public opinion, and empire preservation influenced appeasement policy.
Winston Churchill consistently opposed appeasement, advocating for deterrence and stronger alliances.
Intelligence reports and events like Kristallnacht gradually shifted public and private stances against Hitler.
Allied military advantage in 1938 was lost as Germany gained resources from annexed territories.
An earlier intervention, such as during the 1936 Rhineland remilitarization, could have altered the war's course.

Appeasement was an official policy of the UK and France, aimed at avoiding a second world war.
This policy involved conceding to Adolf Hitler's demands with the hope he would eventually cease aggression.
Western allies found themselves in a weak military position following the end of World War I.
The episode notes perceived parallels between this historical policy and modern geopolitical situations.

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935 allowed Germany to rebuild its navy, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936, a buffer zone, with France and Britain not intervening.
In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria in an act known as the Anschluss, met with international inaction.
Britain's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain faced divided public opinion on a determined policy against such aggression.

The Munich Agreement in September 1938 saw British PM Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Édouard Daladier concede the Sudetenland to Hitler.
Czechoslovakia, despite being an ally, was not invited to these negotiations concerning its own territory.
Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia just seven months later, in March 1939, breaking his promise.
His subsequent invasion of Poland in September 1939, following a pact with the Soviet Union, officially began World War II.

The UK's motivation for appeasement included preserving its superpower status and empire, fearing a new world war.
Some factions within the UK advocated appeasement as a stalling tactic to rearm their military.
Public opinion, influenced by the trauma of World War I, largely favored avoiding conflict, amplified by increased enfranchisement.
France, weakened by World War I and internal political divisions, adopted a defensive foreign policy also favoring appeasement.

Winston Churchill was introduced as an outspoken opponent of Hitler, having visited Germany in 1932.
He strongly condemned the Munich Agreement as a 'total and unmitigated defeat'.
Following Neville Chamberlain's perceived failure, Churchill became Prime Minister in 1940, tasked with confronting Hitler.
Churchill advocated for a policy of deterrence over appeasement and suggested a 'grand alliance' with the Soviet Union.

Intelligence reports indicated Germany's brutal and ruthless nature, yet leaders like Chamberlain continued appeasement.
The U.S. administration, while officially supporting appeasement, privately urged the UK to adopt a stronger stance against Hitler.
Public opinion in Britain largely supported appeasement until Kristallnacht in November 1938, which prompted global condemnation of Germany's violence against Jewish citizens.

Appeasement allowed for British rearmament, with Britain dedicating a high proportion of its GDP to armaments.
By 1940, Britain's navy had been rebuilt to become the world's strongest.
In 1938, Britain and France possessed a five-to-one armament superiority over Germany, a situation that changed by 1939.
Germany's military advantage significantly increased after taking Czechoslovakia in 1939, gaining munitions factories and slave labor.

The potential impact of an earlier intervention in 1936, when Germany remilitarized the Rhineland, is explored.
It is argued that France, with superior troop numbers at the time, could have easily repelled Germany's move.
Such an action could have potentially undermined Hitler's leadership and prevented World War II and its immense casualties.