Appeasment Sources Question Essay Research Paper 1 — страница 2

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untrue opinion of Hitler, as in source B, except this time, he was made to look worse.? The cartoon would possibly have been exaggerated to inflame the Czechs and get them eager for revenge, and so the ogre-like view of Hitler is portrayed.? The cartoon could also have been a cry for help to other countries.? It obviously reflects the way that the Czechs feel about Hitler, and so they were maybe asking for support to resist his invasions.? There is also the aspect of newspaper ratings which has little to do with Hitler?s personality, but the cartoon which most reflected public feeling would be most likely to sell well.? This is similar to the inter-party competition in Germany.4.???????? Sources D, E and F help us to understand the reasons for the British policy of appeasement.?

Source D implies that in war, thousands of men die.? This was proved in the First World War, and so by implementing appeasement, ?thousands of young men will live?.? Not only was war averted, saving lives, but in arranging appeasement, Czechoslovakia had to hand over the Sudetenland peacefully.? Therefore, there were few, if any deaths as a result of the German occupation.? The date is important because it was written at the time of Chamberlain?s negotiations with Hitler, and so it is clear that the policy of appeasement was well supported, even by a titled person (Lord Castlerose).? Their power in Britain would have helped to drive towards appeasement. ??????????? Source E is similar to D in that it discusses death, ?saved their sons?.? The fact that war causes death is

therefore a key factor in why the British government followed appeasement.? Also in source E, the opinion of the British public is discussed.? The British were not ready for war in 1938, ?this [support] was not the case?, and so appeasement was seen as the only option, it the country was not willing to go to war.? Also in source E, Britain is seen to have views on a country that has nothing to do with them, ?probably have been wiser…? and this helps to justify appeasement.? Britain felt that it could not defend Czechoslovakia over the other side of Europe, so the simplest solution seemed to be to give Hitler what he wanted. ??????????? The Treaty of Versailles is also mentioned in source E, ?never been given to her at Versailles?.? If a Briton is having doubts about the Treaty,

then it is reasonable to assume that some others would be of the opinion that Germany had been punished too harshly.? Therefore, appeasement would go some way towards righting the wrongs which had been done.? Also, the author of the source, Neville Henderson, because he was the British Ambassador to Germany, would presumably know what was best for both countries, therefore encouraging appeasement.? It should be noted, however, that he was writing with hindsight, and so the reasons for appeasement may not have been that simple or that obvious at the time.? Henderson?s views are similar to Chamberlain?s, and so he may have decided to opt for appeasement, because he knew that he had the support of other influential people too. ??????????? Source F talks about the ?greatness of Herr

Hitler? and because this is written by a Briton too, it is obvious that there was some feeling, like with the Treaty of Versailles, that Hitler was doing nothing wrong (a feeling mirrored throughout the British public before 1939).? The ?quality? of Hitler can then only be shown by the British government in the form of giving Hitler what he wants, i.e. appeasement. ??????????? However, care should be exercised with source F.? Lloyd George was Prime Minister only until 1922, and at that time, Hitler was not particularly influential, so his judgement may be one-sided, and Hitler may have been misjudged.5.???????? Sources G, H and I have varying degrees of usefulness as evidence of public reaction towards opposing Hitler.? Firstly, source G cannot be disputed as inaccurate.? The

record of the motion and the voting would almost certainly be correct.? Therefore, the evidence given, that young people did not want to fight, is reliable.? How useful it is however, is another matter.? Because not all the students voted against war, then the generalisation that all young people were against war cannot be made, and the usefulness of the source is doubted.? Also, because only the young were involved, the ?public? opinion does not take into account the feelings of any other generations of the public.? However, looking at it from another angle, the ?large majority? of students did not want war, and so it can be fairly conclusively stated that war was unpopular among the young.? This is extremely useful, because it goes some way towards justifying the fact that the