Germany 's Treaty Of Versailles Essay

There are several instances when Germany demonstrated that it could not credibly uphold any commitments. Each example examined relates to the appeasement of Germany by France and Britain. First, when Germany annexed Austria in March of 1938, it broke the Treaty of Versailles as it exposed the rearmament of the German military as well as territorial expansion on the party of Germany. Britain and France did nothing to prevent this annexation and therefore failed to credibly uphold the treaty. This signaled a lack of intent to enforce the treaty or punish Germany – additionally reflecting how the Treaty of Versailles required complicity on the party of Germany to be effective. By allowing Germany to take Austria, Britain and France hoped to prevent future conflict by giving Germany the settlement it desired. Unfortunately, this logic repeatedly failed for the Allies. A second appeasement occurred when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in September 1938, and France – a Czechoslovakian ally – failed to protect the state from invasion by following Britain’s edict that a compromise could be reached with Germany to prevent further expansion. This was followed by a British and German resolution to “never go to war again” on September 30, 1938. This declaration was intended to be another compromise to avoid war – however the invasion in Poland effectively convinced Britain and France that appeasement (and therefore bargaining) were no longer an acceptable or possible route to prevent…