Early Acts of Appeasement
- "Appeasing the aggressor only makes them more aggressive"
- By the time actions were taken to fight Hitler, he had become so powerful that he posed a serious threat.
Early acts of appeasement:
- The league of nations was relatively useless against Hitler because the United States, who were the only people fit to put up a good fight, was not a part of the League. Also, Germany was not a part of the League, because it was a result of the Treaty of Versailles.
- Also, the force of Nationalism was too strong (as it always is) to keep the parties from acting in the ways they did.
Japanese occupation of Manchuria:
- Japan owns a South Manchurian railway.
- Military operation claiming Manchuria (northern China).
- Manchuria rich in useful resources.
- The Lytton commission saw that the League of Nations would give Japan an ultimatum encouraging them to leave.
- Japan simply drops out of the League, and the League then ignores the situation after concluding that this has no effect on Europe.
Italian Occupation of Abyssinia:
- Mussolini wants to expand Italian Empire.
- Abyssinia appeals to the League for help, which is almost completely useless.
- Hoare-Laval plan gives most of Italy if fighting stopped.
- Signalled the futility of the League at this point.
The Militarization of the Rhineland:
- Hitler institutes conscription in 1935.
- There is a quick rise to great strength in the German army, navy, and airforce.
- In 1935, Mussolini signs naval agreements with Hitler.
- Moves the army into the Rhineland (breaking Locarno pact)
Subjunctive Question: Could, at this point, the war have been stopped if the policy of appeasement was replaced with a policy of punishment?
"Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless."
- Adolf Hitler |