Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement was his attempt to prevent war by making concessions to aggressive powers like Adolf Hitler, most notably by signing the Munich Agreement in 1938. The agreement allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking border region of Czechoslovakia, in hopes that Hitler would be satisfied and further conflict would be avoided. While initially hailed as a success and celebrated with the phrase "Peace for Our Time," the policy ultimately failed, as Hitler's aggression continued, leading to World War II a year later.
Key aspects of Chamberlain's appeasement
- Motivation: The policy was driven by a desire to avoid another devastating war like World War I, which had devastated Europe. Chamberlain, and many Britons, felt that Hitler's demands might be reasonable if met, and that Britain was not militarily prepared for a major conflict.
- Munich Agreement: This was the climax of appeasement. In September 1938, Chamberlain, along with France, Italy, and Germany met in Munich, excluding Czechoslovakia. They agreed to the German annexation of the Sudetenland.
- "Peace with Honour": Upon his return to Britain, Chamberlain famously declared he had achieved "Peace for Our Time," and was met with widespread acclaim, as it appeared war had been averted.
- Failure: Hitler's subsequent actions proved the policy's failure. The Munich Agreement did not satisfy Hitler, and he invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, leading Britain to abandon appeasement.
- Legacy: Appeasement is often seen as a symbol of weakness and naivety, but some historians argue that it bought Britain a crucial year to rearm and helped the public understand Hitler's untrustworthy nature.
内维尔·张伯伦的绥靖政策是他试图通过向阿道夫·希特勒等侵略性列强做出让步来防止战争，最引人注目的是签署慕尼黑协议1938 年。该协议允许德国吞并苏台德地区，捷克斯洛伐克的德语边境地区，希望希特勒能满意并避免进一步的冲突。虽然最初被誉为成功并以“我们这个时代的和平”一词来庆祝，但随着希特勒的侵略继续，该政策最终失败了，导致一年后的第二次世界大战。
张伯伦绥靖政策的关键方面
- 赋予动机：该政策的驱动力是避免另一场像第一次世界大战那样摧毁欧洲的毁灭性战争。张伯伦和许多英国人认为，如果满足希特勒的要求可能是合理的，而且英国没有为重大冲突做好军事准备。
- 慕尼黑协议：这是绥靖的高潮。1938 年 9 月，张伯伦与法国、意大利和德国在慕尼黑会面，不包括捷克斯洛伐克。他们同意德国吞并苏台德地区。
- “荣誉和平”：回到英国后，张伯伦以著名的宣言宣布他已经实现了“我们这个时代的和平”，并受到了广泛的赞誉，因为战争似乎已经避免了。
- 失败：希特勒随后的行动证明了该政策的失败。《慕尼黑协定》并没有让希特勒满意，他于 1939 年 3 月入侵捷克斯洛伐克其他地区，导致英国放弃了绥靖政策。
- 遗产：绥靖政策通常被视为软弱和天真的象征，但一些历史学家认为，它为英国赢得了重新武装的关键一年，并帮助公众了解希特勒的不值得信任的本性。
