Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last

Exam Tip

A Paper One exam question could ask you to explain if Chamberlain was justified in following the policy of appeasement. Use these arguments for appeasement. Discuss in your answer if Britain could stand up to Hitler. Consider the motivations for Chamberlain to follow appeasement. Explain if these reasons were bigger than the threat that Hitler posed to world peace.

Worked Example

Study Source A.

How useful is this source to a historian studying the causes of the Second World War? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge

7 marks

Source A: A cartoon by David Low published in the Evening Standard on 8th July 1936 with the title “Stepping Stones to Glory”. A representation of Hitler is seen stepping on multiple people’s backs. The words ‘Rearmament’ and ‘Rhineland Fortification’ are displayed on the first three backs.

Partial answer:

Source A is useful for a historian because it shows the dangers of appeasement (1). The cartoon shows Hitler stepping over the backs of what Low calls “spineless leaders of democracy” (1). The cartoon was published in 1936. By this point, the League had allowed Hitler to rearm and remilitarise the Rhineland for Germany. The leaders of France and Britain were following a policy of appeasement, which gave in to Hitler’s demands to avoid war (1). The cartoon shows that some people in 1936 disagreed with appeasement. Calling the leaders ‘spineless’ shows that Low believed that the leaders could do more to stop Hitler (1).

Exam Tip

All sources are, in some way, useful for a historian. To achieve full marks for this question, you need to comment on the nature, origin and purpose of the source

• Nature - The source is a cartoon produced in 1936. Cartoons are useful for understanding the zeitgeist, or the mood of the time. A limitation of cartoons as historical sources is that events are often exaggerated

• Origin -  David Low was born in New Zealand but worked in the UK. He created many political cartoons for The Star (1919 - 1927) and the Evening Standard (1927-1950)

• Purpose - Cartoons are often drawn to entertain or to provide an opinion. Low represents an anti-appeasement opinion in a time when a lot of British people supported the policy

This method of source analysis ensures you are using details from the source and your own knowledge in your answer.