This introduction covers Setting the Scene within Appeasement for GCSE History. Revise Appeasement in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 1 of 16 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📖 Setting the Scene
It's 30 September 1938. A plane touches down at Heston Aerodrome, west London. Out steps Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, waving a piece of paper signed by Adolf Hitler. The cameras flash. The crowd cheers. "I believe it is peace for our time," he declares. He has just returned from Munich, where he agreed to hand over a chunk of Czechoslovakia to Germany — without even asking the Czechs. Most of Britain celebrates. Winston Churchill, almost alone, calls it "a total and unmitigated defeat." Within six months, Hitler will seize the rest of Czechoslovakia. Within a year, Europe will be at war.
Practice questions for Appeasement
What is the term for the policy of giving in to Hitler's demands in order to avoid war?
At the Munich Conference in September 1938, Britain and France agreed to give which territory to Germany?
Quick recall flashcards
What is appeasement?
Giving in to demands to avoid conflict — letting Hitler have what he wanted
3 arguments FOR appeasement?
1. Versailles unfair, 2. Fear of war, 3. Time to rearm