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Question
Why did Britain and France follow a policy of appeasement towards Germany and Italy?
Solution
In the late 1930’s Britain, under Neville Chamberlain, and her ally France adopted a policy of appeasement. This meant that they wanted to keep the peace and avoid entering a war at any cost, even if it meant making concessions towards potential aggressors, particularly Germany ruled by the dictator Adolf Hitler. Britain and France adopted and pursued this policy for a variety of reasons, though it was eventually abandoned in September 1939.
They believed that if they pursued appeasement and didn’t go to war with Germany then Germany would provide defence against the spread of communism. In conclusion, Britain and France pursued a policy of appeasement in the late 1930s for a variety of reasons. Public opinion was very much against war, as the horror of the first one was still in living memory. Britain and France could not afford to fight a war; they were more concerned with the social situation in their own countries, and with protecting their empires.
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