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 3 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. 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.
Topic position
Section 1 of 16
Practice
8 questions
Recall
3 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.