History glossary
Appeasement
a policy of making concessions to avoid conflict, especially associated with Britain and France before the Second World War.
- Category
- Foreign policy
What it means
Appeasement is most often used for British and French policy toward Hitler in the 1930s. Supporters hoped concessions could preserve peace or buy time; critics argue it encouraged aggression and failed to stop Nazi expansion.
Related terms
Stories using this term
Nazi Germany
From Weimar collapse to WWII, Nazi Germany imposed totalitarian rule, expansion, and genocide.
The Causes of the Second World War
From the flawed peace of 1919 to the invasion of Poland in 1939, this story traces the interlocking causes of the Second World War across two decades of crisis, ideology, and failed deterrence.
The Second World War
From fragile peace to global war, WWII reshaped the world through conflict, genocide, and new power orders.
