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Phillip Bedford

IBHL Euro

04/27/10
Search for Collective Security, appeasement in the interwar years, the
failure of international diplomacy, outbreak of war in 1939.

Summary) The main search for collective security after WWI resulted in the formation
of the League of Nations. The League sought to keep international peace while
maintaining a balance of power on an international level. It failed on both accounts.
Appeasement in the interwar years was found many times in dealing with imperialism,
especially. Hitler’s invasion of the Sudetanland is probably the strongest argument for
appeasement. Neville Chamberlain met Hitler’s blitzkrieg force with a gentleman’s
agreement at Munich in 1938. This gave Hitler the impression that Chamberlain was
afraid of him, according to Niall Ferguson. The League’s failure to act against Japan’s
invasion on Manchuria in 1931 set an example that big powers could get away with just
about anything. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 was the ultimate failure of the
League. It was a total act of imperialism which went against everything that the League
stood for, and the League simply let Mussolini get away with it. WWII was caused by a
built up of aggression by the bad guys faced with retaliation of appeasement by the
pansies.
Key terms) appeasement- meeting aggression with attempted diplomacy, ie, Hitler
invades Sudetenland, Chamberlain ‘talks’ to him
Hitler- one of the bad guys, took advantage of Chamberlain’s weaknesses by rearming,
Anschleuss, the Sudetenland crisis, etc. Chamberlain and Daladier= pansies.
Enabling Act- Hitler ‘enabled’ himself to remain in power as long as he wanted, an
election would be held every five years, he rigged it each time.
Mussolini- other bad guy, essentially acted the same as Hitler, but in Ethiopia rather than
Poland and Austria
Anschleuss- Hitler’s absorption of Austria
Analysis) The search for collective security after WWI was surely a good cause. Had the
League of Nations been founded through proper leadership, then is most certainly would
have been a more successful peace keeping institution. This was the foundation of
collective security, and when it failed, any hope for peace went with it. The failure of
international diplomacy was due in large part to the inaction of the League during times
of imperialism and international crisis. Had the League been more effective in dealing
with the Japanese after their invasion of Manchuria, more than likely, Mussolini would
not have been so bold as to invade Ethiopia without any threat of repercussion from the
League. The Ethiopian crisis inevitably was the failure of the League. Afterwards, Britain
and France tried to step up into the seat of international peace keeping. By this time, both
Mussolini and Hitler saw that they had a free hand in imperialism and wanted to take
advantage of it. Hitler used the Sudetenland crisis to test the pansies. He wanted a war
with the Allied powers, but instead of acting rationally against Hitler’s armed forces,
Chamberlain believed he could talk things out with Hitler. Again, Chamberlain’s
weaknesses are exposed, and Hitler takes full advantage by invading Poland in
September of 1939.

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