Poland Invasion: Appeasement Ends 1939

The End of Peace in Europe Year 10 History World War II Begins

What Was Appeasement?

Policy of giving in to aggressive demands to avoid conflict Used by Britain and France in the 1930s Aimed to prevent another devastating war Allowed Hitler to grow stronger and bolder

Timeline: Hitler's Aggressive Expansion

September 1, 1939: Blitzkrieg Begins

Germany launches surprise attack on Poland Blitzkrieg = 'Lightning War' strategy Fast-moving tanks, aircraft, and troops Poland overwhelmed within days

Why Was Poland Different?

Britain and France had guaranteed Poland's independence Previous invasions had no formal guarantees Poland was seen as the 'line in the sand' Appeasement had clearly failed

September 3, 1939: The World Responds

{"left":"Britain declares war on Germany at 11am\nFrance follows with declaration at 5pm\nBritish Commonwealth nations join","right":"Appeasement policy officially ends\nWorld War II begins\nHitler had miscalculated Western resolve"}

Source Analysis Activity

Read Chamberlain's war declaration speech Analyze Polish government response Examine German propaganda Complete graphic organizer with your group

The End of Appeasement

"This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us." - Neville Chamberlain, September 3, 1939