Was it brave that the Europeans and Americans Appeased and ignored Hitler even after he invaded other nations?

Question

Or was it cowardly and weak.They did not want it to be so so they ignored it.

Answer 1

I dont think there are too many countries that can hold their head up high over World War 2. Those who celebrate 'winning it' are often those who did nothing to prevent it in the first place.

Answer 2

Appeased, yes, ignored, no. I would say it was equal parts cowardice, irresolution, and wishful thinking, the latter two of which Hitler very cleverly encouraged while suppressing his own trepidation rightly based on very real German military weakness existing at that time. So there was also a measure of bad luck for both sides included in the mix.

Hitler did a very stupid thing immediately after Pearl Harbor by declaring war on the United States. It was nowhere near a foregone conclusion that President Roosevelt could have obtained a declaration of war against Germany at that time without some overt act of war on the part of Germany. American public opinion was not galvanized against both Japan and Germany to the same degree at the same moment.

Churchill later wrote that when he heard news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he went home that night and "slept the sleep of the saved," because he knew then that Britain would survive the war.

Answer 3

Until Dec 7th. 1941, the US was concerned about the threats coming from the Nazi blitzkrieg, and none of that went un-noticed...but what was the world to do? Just jump up and run over unprepared and be irrational? No. Europe was falling...we knew it, so did the British. and up until the time France was being over-run, Britian was the sole hope to repel Germany, but she was fighting with everything she had just to keep Germany away...Churchill appealled many times to the US, and warned us that sooner or later the Germans would find a way to attack the US mainland (and they did eventually anyway- Corpus Cristi, TX- early 1944). But Pearl Harbor on that day sealed the fate of both Japan and Germany. After that, hell broke loose in Europe...end of story.

So no...it wasnt cowardly...just pragmatism to enter the war only when we prepared a bit for it. Outcome would have been different had the RAF been wiped out, but they hung on...giving all the allies a fair chance to turn it around. RAF simply gave us more time to prepare...its fact.
The US, UK, and Russia all share an equal role in Germany's defeat, but the US provided most of the tools to do it.

Answer 4

I think theres a easy trap to fall into when you're looking back at a particular event in history and that is to judge it with a air of hindsight.

on the face of it the Allies appeassement of Nazi Germany does look very cowardly and non confrontational, but what you have to remember is that the Allied leaders we're doing what they thought best at the time... the end of the 1st world war was a recent memory and no-one wanted a repeat of the bloodbath.

whilst i can't speak for the US and French attitudes, i do know that Chamberlain desperately wanted to avoid a war with Germany for several reasons, including moral ones like avoiding needless deaths, the idea that Germany was harshly treated in the treaty of Versailes and that the British armed forces where currently undergoing a crash course rearmament... so i suppose you have to ask yourself the question if you knew all this, and you had to decide a foreign policy with a hostile Germany, what would you do?

Answer 5

Hello~! No it was not because we were weak. It was American did not want to get involved. They knew if we did that there love ones would have to go and fight and may get killed.
As in world war 11 i believe our nation leaders wanted to get involved. They knew that Pearl Harbor was going to get bomb. We had intercepted message that fore told of what was going to happened. I believed that our leaders at that time let it happened because they knew that we as American would be enraged and would want to fight back.No we were far from being weak. The American people knew what war would to to us but our leaders also knew if we did not get involved that the war would come here. Germany was a powerful nation that was enraged with The rest of the world. A nation that was hungry and easily incited by there leader. Germany bombs did hit some placed here at the time. They were send here in balloons. Most people don't know this. Just think what would have happen if they had won the war. It sure would be different world.

Answer 6

Back then the USA was a neutral country and we had to stand by that until pearl harbor was bombed which dragged us into the war. Brave? no. Ignorant? yes Could you ask the same about Switzerland who still remains neutral to this day?

Answer 7

It was not a matter of being breve or not brave. It was a matter of
both countries believing Hitler when he said that Poland was all
he wanted he wante to annex.

Chamberlain was a bit of a pacifist and the U.S. was in a
separatist mode at the time.

Thank you very much, while you're up!

Answer 8

Weak, yes. What is the point of this argument; does it have to do with Bush's actions (or lack thereof) towards N. Korea, or is this another Lib-bashing rant?

Answer 9

Stupid useless Q
exactly like u.