Anglo-French Appeasement: Why It Was Chosen and How It Was Carried Out (ISC Class 12 History)
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Appeasement was the policy of giving in to the demands of an aggressor to avoid war. Britain (under Neville Chamberlain) and France followed it towards Germany and Italy in the 1930s because they feared another war, thought Versailles too harsh, feared communism and were not ready to fight. It ended after Germany took the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
Fear, guilt and weakness fed appeasement; each concession from 1936 to Munich only encouraged Hitler until Prague in March 1939 ended the policy.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How
What the syllabus asks. The syllabus names "Anglo-French appeasement policies" and asks why Britain and France chose to follow it and how it was carried out. A good answer therefore has two halves: reasons, then a dated sequence of actions. A final line on the result earns the last mark.
1. Meaning. Appeasement means making concessions to a power that makes demands, in the hope that its anger will be satisfied and war avoided. It is linked above all with the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1937-40), though British and French governments had been giving ground since the early 1930s.
2. Why Britain and France followed it.
- *Fear of another war.* The memory of 1914-18 was fresh; public opinion in both countries was strongly pacifist.
- *Guilt about Versailles.* Many thought the treaty had treated Germany too harshly, so demands such as rearmament or the Rhineland seemed partly fair.
- *Fear of communism.* Some leaders saw a strong Germany as a barrier against the Soviet Union.
- *Economic weakness.* After the Depression, rearming and fighting looked too costly; Britain and France were not ready for war.
- *No help from outside.* The League of Nations had failed over Abyssinia, and the USA kept away from European quarrels.
- *Divided allies.* Britain's dominions did not want a European war; France was politically divided and would not act without Britain.
- *A mistaken judgement.* Many believed Hitler was a reasonable man with limited aims who would stop once his grievances were met.
3. How it was carried out (in order).
1. 1935: the Anglo-German Naval Agreement accepted a German navy at 35 per cent of Britain's, in effect accepting German rearmament.
2. 1935-36: sanctions on Italy for invading Abyssinia were half-hearted, and the Hoare-Laval plan offered Italy much of the country.
3. March 1936: no action when German troops entered the Rhineland.
4. 1936-39: non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War, while Germany and Italy helped Franco.
5. March 1938: the Anschluss with Austria was accepted.
6. 29-30 September 1938: at Munich, Chamberlain and Daladier agreed with Hitler and Mussolini to hand the Sudetenland to Germany. Czechoslovakia was not consulted. Chamberlain spoke of "peace for our time".
4. End and assessment. In March 1939 Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, proving that Hitler's aims were not limited. Britain and France then gave guarantees to Poland and ended appeasement. Supporters of the policy say it bought time to rearm; critics say each concession made Hitler stronger and made war larger, not smaller. A balanced answer gives both views, then states which the examiner can reward with evidence.
Boundary. The rise of Nazism and Fascism is a Class XI topic; the Nazi-Soviet Pact and the invasion of Poland belong to the next topic. Here, keep to Britain and France.
Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How: key facts
- Reasons in one line
- Fear of war
- Versailles guilt
- Fear of communism
- Economic weakness
- Weak League and isolationist USA
- Divided allies
- Belief in Hitler's limited aims
- Seven reasons; pick four or five for a 4-mark answer.
- Steps of appeasement
1935 Naval Agreement 1935-36 Abyssinia sanctions weak 1936 Rhineland 1936-39 Spain non-intervention 1938 Anschluss Sept 1938 Munich - Learn the order; the examiner often reports candidates mixing up chronology.
- Munich Agreement (29-30 September 1938)
- Chamberlain (Britain)
- Daladier (France)
- Hitler (Germany)
- Mussolini (Italy)
- Sudetenland to Germany
- Czechoslovakia not consulted
- Four leaders, one territory.
How to answer Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How questions
Questions are either "Why did Britain and France follow appeasement?" (reasons) or "How was it carried out / Explain the steps" (chronology). A 6 or 8 mark question wants both, plus the result.
- 1Define appeasement in one line and name Chamberlain.
- 2Give each reason as a short sentence with its explanation, not a bare word.
- 3List the actions in date order, naming the country that gained.
- 4Close with the end of appeasement in March 1939 and one line of assessment.
Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Why giving in can encourage more demands
Suppose a school bully takes a junior's lunch money every Monday. The junior hands it over so as to avoid a fight, and the teachers, hoping the matter will settle, do nothing.
What will most likely happen next, and how does this resemble appeasement?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Each Monday the bully gets what he wants without cost.
- He learns that demands work, so he asks for more.
- The longer others wait, the stronger his position, and the harder it is to stop him later.
Answer: The demands grow. Appeasement of Hitler worked in a similar way: each concession in 1935-38 made Germany stronger without making it satisfied.
Memory hook: Feed the demand and it grows.
Why fear and unreadiness shape decisions
Imagine a town council that knows its fire brigade has old equipment and few firefighters, and a rival town makes a dangerous demand.
Why might the council choose to give way even though it distrusts the rival?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- It is not ready to fight and fears the cost.
- It hopes that time will let it build up its strength.
- It also hopes the rival will be satisfied.
Answer: Unreadiness and fear of loss push leaders to buy time. Defenders of appeasement make this argument about Britain and France in 1938.
Memory hook: Not ready, so buy time.
Tricks to remember Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
FEARS-VC for the reasons
Fear of war, Economy weak, Anti-communism, Right grievances (Versailles), Support missing (League/USA), Views of Hitler as reasonable, Colonies and allies divided.
Use it when: Recalling the seven reasons in a 6 or 8 mark answer.
N-A-R-S-A-M
Naval agreement, Abyssinia, Rhineland, Spain, Anschluss, Munich.
Use it when: The six steps in correct order.
Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: Meaning and person · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
What is meant by the policy of appeasement? Name the British Prime Minister most closely linked with it. [2]
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Definition: giving in to the demands of an aggressor to avoid war (1 mark).
- Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister 1937-40 (1 mark).
Answer: Appeasement means making concessions to an aggressive power in the hope of satisfying it and avoiding war. It is linked with Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister from 1937 to 1940.
Example 2: Reasons in short · 4 marks · Short answerBoard level
Give four causes that made the British and French governments avoid a confrontation with Hitler in the 1930s. [4]
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- One mark each for four distinct reasons, each with a few words of explanation.
Answer: First, both countries dreaded another war so soon after 1914-18, and public opinion was pacifist. Second, many felt that Versailles was too harsh, so some German demands seemed fair. Third, some leaders feared communism and saw a strong Germany as a barrier against the Soviet Union. Fourth, Britain and France were weakened by the Depression and were not ready to rearm and fight.
Example 3: Steps up to Munich · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
"Every concession made the next demand easier." Show this with events from 1935 to 1938 involving Germany and Italy. [6]
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- 1935 Naval Agreement and Abyssinia: concessions to Germany and Italy (2 marks).
- 1936 Rhineland and Spain: inaction and non-intervention (2 marks).
- 1938 Anschluss and Munich: Sudetenland given up (2 marks).
Answer: In 1935 Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, accepting a German navy at 35 per cent of its own and so accepting German rearmament. In the same year, sanctions against Italy for invading Abyssinia were half-hearted, and the Hoare-Laval plan would have given Italy much of the country. In March 1936 neither power acted when Germany sent troops into the Rhineland. During the Spanish Civil War both followed non-intervention while Germany and Italy helped Franco. In March 1938 the Anschluss with Austria was accepted. Finally, at Munich in September 1938, Chamberlain and Daladier agreed with Hitler and Mussolini to give the Sudetenland to Germany; Czechoslovakia was not consulted.
Example 4: Was appeasement a mistake? · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Some historians say appeasement bought Britain time to rearm; others say it made war more certain. Examine both views and give your own judgement. [6] (Evaluation)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- View 1 with evidence: time to rearm, public support, unreadiness (2 marks).
- View 2 with evidence: Hitler stronger after each success, Czechoslovakia lost with its defences (2 marks).
- A reasoned judgement tied to March 1939 (2 marks).
Answer: Defenders argue that in 1938 Britain and France were not ready, public opinion opposed war, and the delay allowed more fighter aircraft and radar defences to be prepared. Critics reply that each concession, from the Rhineland to Munich, made Germany stronger and bolder, and that giving up the Sudetenland removed Czechoslovakia's fortified frontier and an army that could have fought alongside the Allies. Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 showed that his aims were not limited. On balance, the policy was a mistake in its later stages: delay helped only if it was used to build alliances and a firm stand, and the Allies gave the initiative to Germany for three years.
Example 5: Source-based: the Munich Agreement · 6 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency
Read the extract (written for this page) and answer.
In September 1938 four leaders met in a German city. Two of them, the heads of government of Britain and France, agreed that a border region of a neighbouring country with a large German-speaking population should pass to Germany within days. The government of that country, whose fortified hills lay in the region, had not been invited. On returning home, the British leader told a cheering crowd that he had brought back peace.
(i) Name the agreement and the territory transferred. [1]
(ii) Why was the leader of the country concerned not invited? Give one effect of this on the smaller country. [1]
(iii) Explain two reasons why the British leader hoped this agreement would keep the peace. [2]
(iv) How did events in March 1939 show that his hope was mistaken? [2]
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (i) Munich Agreement; the Sudetenland (1 mark).
- (ii) The four powers decided without it; Czechoslovakia lost its fortified frontier and had to accept (1 mark).
- (iii) Belief that Hitler had only limited aims; fear of war and unreadiness (2 marks).
- (iv) Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia, showing that German demands did not end with the Sudetenland (2 marks).
Answer: (i) The Munich Agreement; the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. (ii) The four powers decided without consulting Czechoslovakia; as a result it lost its mountain defences and was left weak. (iii) Chamberlain believed that Hitler was a reasonable man who wanted only to unite German-speaking people, and he and French leaders feared war and were not ready for it. (iv) In March 1939 Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, so Hitler's demands clearly went beyond the German-speaking areas, and Britain and France gave guarantees to Poland and ended appeasement.
Where students lose marks in Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Confusing appeasement with the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Both happen in the late 1930s and involve Hitler.
Wrong working
Appeasement was Britain and France signing an agreement with Stalin.
Right working
Appeasement was Anglo-French concession to Germany and Italy; the Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939) was between Germany and the USSR.
Do this: Appeasement = Britain + France giving in.
Usually costs: 2-3 marks.
Mistake: Listing events out of order
The examiner reports that candidates often put events in the wrong sequence.
Wrong working
Munich 1938, Rhineland 1936, Naval Agreement 1935, Anschluss 1938.
Right working
1935 Naval Agreement, 1936 Rhineland, March 1938 Anschluss, September 1938 Munich.
Do this: Write the year beside every step.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Saying Czechoslovakia agreed at Munich
Forgetting that it was not consulted.
Wrong working
Czechoslovakia, Britain, France, Germany and Italy signed the agreement.
Right working
Only Britain, France, Germany and Italy took part; Czechoslovakia was not invited.
Do this: Munich = four powers, not five.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Giving reasons without explaining them
Writing a list of words.
Wrong working
Fear of war, communism, Versailles.
Right working
Fear of war: the memory of 1914-18 made public opinion pacifist and governments cautious.
Do this: Reason, then "because".
Usually costs: 2 marks in a 6-mark answer.
Exam tips
- Count the marks: 4 marks means four reasons or steps, each with a short explanation; 6 marks means more detail and a conclusion.
- Write the year beside each step of appeasement; chronology errors are a frequent loss of marks.
- For "evaluate" questions give both views, evidence for each, and then your own judgement, not just a list.
Practice questions on Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
Name the four leaders who signed the Munich Agreement. [2]
Hint
Two from the democracies, two from the Axis.
Answer
Neville Chamberlain (Britain), Edouard Daladier (France), Adolf Hitler (Germany) and Benito Mussolini (Italy).
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Explain two reasons why fear of communism encouraged appeasement. [3]
Hint
Think of Germany as a barrier, and of distrust of the USSR.
Answer
Some British and French leaders feared the spread of communism and distrusted the Soviet Union; they saw a strong Germany as a barrier against it. This also made them slow to seek an alliance with Stalin, and the USSR was left out of Munich. Fear of communism therefore reduced their willingness to resist Germany.
Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain how appeasement was carried out in 1936 and 1938. Name the territory involved in each case. [4]
Hint
Rhineland, then Austria and the Sudetenland.
Answer
In March 1936 Germany sent troops into the demilitarised Rhineland, breaking Versailles and Locarno; Britain and France protested but took no action. In March 1938 Germany united with Austria in the Anschluss, which they accepted. In September 1938 they agreed at Munich to give the Sudetenland to Germany.
Q4 · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why was the policy of appeasement not followed after March 1939? What did Britain and France do instead? [5]
Hint
Remember the occupation of Prague and the guarantee.
Answer
In March 1939 Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia and took Memel from Lithuania, which showed that Hitler's aims were not limited and that his promises at Munich meant little. Public opinion changed. Britain and France gave guarantees to Poland and then to Greece and Romania, and began to rearm more rapidly, so that an attack on Poland would mean war.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A student writes: "Appeasement was a policy of cowardice because Britain and France could have defeated Germany easily in 1936." Using evidence, explain whether you agree. [6] (Evaluation)
Hint
Weigh military readiness and public opinion against missed chances such as the Rhineland.
Answer
The claim is partly fair. In 1936 Germany's army was still small, and the reoccupation of the Rhineland was a risk; a firm response by France might have stopped Hitler then. But Britain would not support force, public opinion in both countries opposed war, France would not act alone, and both were weakened by the Depression and unprepared to rearm. So the policy was a result of fear, weakness and the belief that Hitler had limited aims as much as of cowardice. Its real failure was to continue after it was clear that concessions fed his ambitions, particularly after Munich.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What is appeasement?Show answer
Giving in to the demands of an aggressor in the hope of avoiding war.
2.Who was the British Prime Minister linked with appeasement?Show answer
Neville Chamberlain (1937-40).
3.What did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 allow?Show answer
A German navy equal to 35 per cent of the British navy.
4.Which territory did Munich give to Germany?Show answer
The Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
5.What ended appeasement?Show answer
The German occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, followed by guarantees to Poland.
6.Which of the great powers was left out of the Munich meeting?Show answer
The USSR (and Czechoslovakia itself).
Anglo-French Appeasement: Why and How: frequently asked questions
Why did Britain and France follow the policy of appeasement?
They feared another war, thought Versailles too harsh, feared communism, were weak after the Depression, lacked support from the League and the USA, and believed Hitler had limited aims.
What was the Munich Agreement?
A September 1938 agreement between Britain, France, Germany and Italy that gave the Sudetenland to Germany without consulting Czechoslovakia.
Was appeasement a success or a failure?
Most historians judge it a failure because it did not stop German expansion, though some argue it bought time for rearmament. State both and give a reasoned view.
When did appeasement end?
In March 1939, after Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia; Britain and France then guaranteed Poland.