Mains Daily Question
Dec. 11, 2023
Q.1) ‘The Western ‘Policy of Appeasement’ of the fascist powers brought about the Second World War.’ Examine. (10M/150W)
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Approach to the Question: Candidate must note that the question does not ask the details about World War II or the events that occurred during World War II. The questions ask about the events, and that too those events which bring out the appeasement policy which lead to the outbreak of World War II. Introduction: We can start the introduction with explaining about the Policy of Appeasement. We can also talk about the need of policy of appeasement during the World War II. Body: Here we have to think about various components of policy of Appeasement and connect them well with the reasons of Second World war. Need to think about various stakeholders of the war and how their action led to WWII. Conclusion: We can conclude by showing the degree of importance of the Policy of Appeasement in the WWII or we can also conclude by saying that there were other factors as well which contributed to the WWII. |
Answer:
Second World War was the result of the appeasement policy followed by countries like Britain and France. This policy of appeasement began with the rise of Fascist and Nazi aggression in the 1930s and had a devastating effect on the world in the times to come, in the form of the Second World War (1939-45).
The Policy of Appeasement:
- Aggression against communism: In the 1930s, Germany, Japan, and Italy launched a series of aggression and claimed that they were fighting communism, and their aggression was mainly directed towards the Soviet Union.
- Acceptance of aggression: The western countries had feared the spread of communism, hence, instead of taking any action against the aggressors, they silently accepted (appeasement) the aggression.
- Hidden agenda behind the appeasement: They wanted to direct the entire aggression of Fascists and Nazis towards the Soviet Union.
Instances of the policy of appeasement:
- Japanese invasion of China: After the First World War, Japan tried to invade China. China asked the League of Nations to intervene, but Britain and France were the leading forces in the League of Nations, and they remained blind to their appeal.
- German Militarisation: Despite the severe restrictions imposed on the military strength by the Treaty of Versailles, Germany started undertaking a massive program of militarization in the 1930s in violation of the treaty. Again, nothing was done by the League of Nations to stop this.
- Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia: In 1935, Italy began the invasion of Ethiopia. Again, no action was taken against Italy.
- Spanish Civil War: This event marked the beginning of an alliance between Germany and Italy. There was open interference by Italy and Germany in Spain’s civil war as they supplied arms and rebels. However, Britain and France kept their distance from the war and did not interfere.
- Munich Pact: Germany under Hitler claimed Sudetenland - a part of Czechoslovakia. In fact, Hitler wanted to occupy the entire Czechoslovakia. Instead of resisting the claims by Germany, the Prime Ministers of Britain and France met Hitler and Mussolini in Sept. 1939 and agreed to Germany’s claim of Sudetenland without the consent of Czechoslovakia.
The policy of appeasement prepared the platform for a Second World War:
- Confidence booster: This policy of appeasement gave a big boost to the confidence of the aggressive nations about their power and influence.
- Growing ambition: It made Germany, Japan, and Italy (later termed as Axis powers) more ambitious and hungrier for further territorial conquests. They now wanted another redivision of the world by coming into direct conflict with other western nations, leading to World War II.
- Growing Military power: The policy of appeasement did not oppose remilitarization of Germany, this led to a massive increase in Germany’s military power and made it even stronger militarily for a Second World War.
- Beginning of the Alliance system: The policy of appeasement indirectly led to the beginning of an alliance system as discussed above. This alliance system meant that the allying countries would be a strong force when fighting together. This made the countries more powerful to fight a war.
Had the western countries stopped Germany and Italy from interfering in the Spanish war, Germany and Italy would not have been able to test their new weapons in this war, which were later used in the world war. Therefore, the policy of appeasement played a significant role in instigating the countries to move towards World War II.
