AQA A LEVEL HISTORY international relations specimen paper Q4 model essay
16 views 0 purchase
Course
History
Institution
Other
Book
International Relations and Global Conflict, C1890-1941
AQA A LEVEL HISTORY component 2k, international relations
- specimen paper Q4 model essay
- ‘The isolationism of the United States meant that appeasement was the only sensible approach to British and France
AQA A LEVEL HISTORY, international relations chapter 4 mindmap
AQA A LEVEL HISTORY, international relations 2022 Q1 essay, with sources annotation
AQA A LEVEL HISTORY, international relations 2023 sources (Q1) model essay answers (without sources included)
All for this textbook (6)
Written for
Other
Other
History
1
All documents for this subject (226)
Seller
Follow
sarax6
Content preview
IR specimen essay Q4: ‘The isolationism of the United States meant that appeasement
was the only sensible policy open to Britain and France in the 1930s.’ Assess the validity
of this view
Isolationism of the USA was a factor pushing Britain and France to the policy of appeasement.
After the first world war, the policy of isolationism was popular in the USA, with politicians and
businessmen keen to ensure the best interests of the USA were met by avoiding entanglement
with European relations which might limit her freedom. The USA had not ratified the Treaty of
Versailles, which left the burden of carrying out and enforcing the treaty to Britain and France,
who had many disagreements on how to best handle the post-war situation, making
appeasement a more popular route in the future. Furthemore, the absence of the USA from the
League of Nations greatly weakened the organization, and left its leadership in the hands of yet
again Britain and France. Without the US, the League of Nations lacked authority and credibility
as an organization. It also lacked a means of enforcing its demands, as economic sanctions, the
league’s main method of control, was rendered useless since the US, who was the world’s
largest producer, did not need to comply with restrictions. The league’s weakness in upholding
demands due to the absence of the USA lead to powers being able to ignore the Covenant and
not face any real consequences, continuing to pursue their aggressive foreign policies. For
example, when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, the League deemed the act as one of
aggression and ordered Japan to leave Manchuria immediately. However, since the league had
no proper method of enforcing these demands other than half-hearted trade embargos due to
lack of involvement of the USA who was under the Stimson doctrine and moral condemnation,
Japan merely left the League of Nations and continued their invasion of China until a truce was
agreed upon. To Britain and France, appeasement appeared to be the only solution to avoid an
unthinkable war as they had not yet recovered economically from the Great depression to be
able to have room for arms expenditure and were unwilling to take firm action without the
backing of the USA. This was demonstrated during the Abyssinian crisis in 1935, where Britain
and France had attempted to pass the Hoare-Laval Pact, negotiating with an aggressive
Mussolini for most of Abyssinia in return for peace.
The isolationism of the United States was not however the only reason Britain and France had
adopted the policy of appeasement, there were several factors such as fear of communism,
genuine sympathy and the need to buy time which resulted in Britain and France resorting to
appeasement.
Within Britain, appeasement was popular with the public, rather than being seen as a policy
which they had no other choice but to pursue. One reason appeasement was popular was
because of the fear of communism. Germany was seen as a valuable ally against the perceived
threats of communist Soviet Union, who was at the time the bogeyman of Europe and
considered the ‘bigger evil’.
Another reason appeasement was adopted was because of Britain and France’s current level of
rearmament. The failure of the World Disarmament conference had allowed Germany to
remilitarise to a larger extent, with Germany already secretly building up their military forces
since 1929. By the mid 1930s, Germany had built up an army with over 300,000 soldiers and
had a strong air force, which both directly contradicted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller sarax6. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
