Why did Britain adopt a policy of appeasement towards Germany in the 1930s?

Answer 1

Appeasement was the policy adopted by the British and French prime ministers int he 1930s towards dictators (Hitler, Mussolini, Japanese president) whereby they would give way to their demands, providing that the demands were reasonable and that the changes took place peacefully.

Six main reasons as to why the British and French did this includes;

1) Gb and France were both still suffering from economic depression and thus felt that they could not afford to spend a large expenditure on arms to combat these dictators.

2) Gb and France were not prepared for war, France was weak and divided and Britain simply had not mobilised its army, appeasement gave both countries vital time to re-arm and mobilise their armies, ready for war.

3) War would have been very unpopular with the public

4) British war generals stated that Britain was not ready to fight a war on two fronts (Japan and European dictators)

5) The league of nations had failed by the 1930s, so Neville Chamberlain (British PM) felt that it would be best to try and negotiate with and civilise the dictators, face to face

6) There was a feeling that the treaty of Versailles was too harsh towards Germany and it was only natural they would try to break it. Lord Lothian stated after Hitler illegally invaded the Rhineland "After all, the Germans are only going into their back garden"

Answer 2

War was trying to be avoided. No country wanted to start another world war so if the price of not starting a world war was to give Germany some bits and pieces of land, then so be it.