Sangster, Andrew Why Appeasement failed

The ignored Evidence

In the years leading up to the Second World War, the world focused heavily on the growing military power of Nazi Germany, but few recognised the true danger posed by Adolf Hitler and his regime. Why Appeasement Failed argues that crucial insights into Hitler's intentions were already available but were largely ignored. The author first examines the turbulent political climate of the 1930s, tensions with Germany and problems between France and Britain, as well as the Munich Conference and its successes and failures. He draws attention to the overlooked warnings in Mein Kampf and several publications from the 1930s, showing that these texts clearly outlined Hitler's vision of expansion and conquest long before it became a global reality. Mein Kampf contained eerie allusions to what Hitler called deficient people, namely the mentally and physically disabled, and to his racist obsession. He elaborated on the party's philosophy and propaganda and projected a unified Pan-Germany based on military power evidence that should have set off alarm bells but was ignored. Attention is now turning to an outstanding but neglected book published in Germany in 1937 and written by an Australian scholar who studied Germany in 1936. Although appreciated by some, Chamberlain's findings were rejected. In places, this author's almost prophetic predictions read almost like a post-war analysis of the situation. He met most of the Nazi leaders, studied the political paramilitary organisations and the German army, and attended a rally in Nuremberg. Having studied German economics, he saw for himself the indoctrination of Nazism in schools, the Hitler Youth and the young men in the labour service, all of whom were trained in military discipline. He observed that public opinion was controlled and laws were adapted to National Socialism. Had political leaders paid more attention to these early signs, they might have heeded Winston Churchill's urgent call for rearmament. Why Appeasement Failed highlights the missed opportunities to understand and counter the threat of Nazism before it was too late.