What did the policy of appeasement result in?
A. It encouraged Germany and Japan to make an alliance.
B. It stripped Germany’s military down to essentials for national defense.
C. It made Germany pay reparations to France for World War I.
D. It allowed Germany to occupy other countries like Czechoslovakia.
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The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is D. It allowed Germany to occupy other countries like Czechoslovakia.
Explanation:
The policy of appeasement was primarily adopted by Western powers, especially Britain and France, in the 1930s as a strategy to maintain peace in Europe following the devastation of World War I. The underlying belief was that by conceding to some of the demands of aggressive nations, particularly Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, it would prevent another large-scale conflict.
One of the most notable outcomes of this policy was the Munich Agreement of 1938, where Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, a part of the country with a significant ethnic German population. This decision was made without the presence of Czechoslovak representatives and was viewed as a significant capitulation to Hitler’s expansionist ambitions. The appeasement policy did not resolve tensions but rather emboldened Hitler, leading to further aggression.
As a result of this policy, Germany went on to occupy more territories, including the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, which was a clear violation of the Munich Agreement. This occupation illustrated the failure of appeasement as a strategy to ensure peace; instead of preventing conflict, it encouraged further territorial expansion by totalitarian regimes. Ultimately, this series of concessions contributed to the outbreak of World War II, as Hitler felt empowered to pursue more aggressive actions, culminating in the invasion of Poland in September 1939, which directly triggered the war.
In conclusion, the policy of appeasement not only allowed Germany to occupy countries like Czechoslovakia but also set a dangerous precedent for further aggressions that would lead to one of the deadliest conflicts in history.