Appeasement-Past and Present
ANGELL, NORMAN
Appeasement—Past and Present Will Our Experiences of the 1930's Teach Us How to Avoid War? By Norman Angell AFTER the Japanese attack on Manchuria in 1931, followed shortly - after by Italian...
...You can have peace at that price...
...1: "If only those who did finally oppose Germany had said beforehand that they would do so, there would have been no war...
...Equally, therefore, would there be no war in assuring the defense of Abyssinia if it were known for certain beforehand that, the members of the League really stood for its defense...
...Little consideration, however, was given to the reasons...
...It did not avail much for me to say: "I hsve abandoned no principles and I do not prefer coercion to persuasion...
...But in I9H that was asking too much of human wisdom...
...This argument was based on the fact'that the aggressors Were acting largely on the supposition that they would not meet any real opposition...
...But without any firm assurance of British and American help, France tended to be ruthless in her treatment of defeated Germany and to reject the policy of conciliation...
...signed to defend the aggressor's possible victims...
...I had no idea you would...
...that western democracies were too indifferent as to what was going on, or too divided to organise resistance...
...Two days later Neri II Chamberlain was announcing in Birmingham that Britain would defend Poland if attacked by Germany, Within a few hours the policy of retreat and appeasement persistently followed by Britajn for years was completely reversed...
...It is useful to recall how bitterly opposed was much Leftist opinion, both in Britain and the United States, during the decade which followed the Tresty of Veisadles to giving sny guarantee to France...
...you have .abandoned your principles...
...Thus a. particular commentator wrote several books on that - matter, and' a great number of articles, indicating the line which the policy of resistance to the aggressions should take...
...When Stim-son proposed economic sanctions against Japan, this writer argued that the British foreign minister, instead of minimizing the proposal, should make the most of it, give Britain's support to sanctions, seek thst of the League even though it might be true (as many in Hi itain argued) that if the sanction* led to crisis and it looked like war, Stimson might be compelled by his public to back down and leave Britnin holding the baby...
...There Is no one but American and Britain viiio can give a guarantee to France sufficiently striking to deter Germany...
...We Insisted, furthermore, that if manifest and widespread objection to the aggressions eame early, those aggressions could be checked peacefully...
...The truth is, of course, that security is the indispensable condition of justice...
...In all that pcrital progressives and idealists were guilty of a gross fallacy...
...if it came late, it would involve war...
...IJnleea you fwo art, and act together, there will be another World War...
...Old friends said to me, more in sorrow than in anger: "So you've changed your mind about war and violence...
...As at that time Germany was still unarmed, Hitler hud not come to power, no Axis existed...
...All this was in keeping with what Lloyd George had said after World War No...
...They argued that to do justice and deal fairly with a possible aggressor was the alternative to the organization of security, of power de...
...1 didn't want war...
...He will be in the position of saying: 'Why didn't you tell me that you would fight...
...There had been no recent leasons sufficiently shsrp to furnish the basis of judgment and policy...
...Kenya or Yorkshire...
...That Treaty was regarded, even more in the United States than in Britain, as outrageously harsh;-and this-was ascribed pretty generally to the insistence of the old Tiger Clemenceau...
...a policy of military domination which was the vesy opposite of the internationalism which constituted the road to peace...
...If that country is attacked, it will be defended by Britain exactly as if it were...
...That is why I want to prevent Japan applying coercion to China, Italy to Abyssinia, Germany to Czechoslovakia or Poland...
...So came the second World War...
...are willing to threaten Japan, an old ally, and Italy, another ally, and Germany, who had a law deal at Versailles, with war...
...In the circumstances, therefore, Britain should ssy: "Whatever other members of the League are prepared to do about fulfilling their obligations to defend a victim of aggression, we are going to fulfill ours in the case of Abyssinia...
...As it was, France, seeing no other means of security, indulged in Ruhr invasions, cordons Sanita i res, and similar devices...
...It is true that some of the aspects of French policy ? had a militarist and: imperialist character...
...s> If France had had the help for which Clemenceau pleaded, she would hav* been fsr more disposed to go easy with the Weimar Republic and give it a chance...
...Britain is refusing to support France, and America is refusing to support, either...
...One day, almost unwittingly, he will overstep the mark, and from one day to another we shall flare up Snd, to the enormous surprise of the enemy, fight...
...and if we acquiesce, that force ultimately will be used against us, when without any doubt we shall have to" fight...
...Clemenceau had begun stressing them in 1918: "Germany will attack again, and there will be a second World War unless you Americans and you British make it plain now that if she attacks France, yea will defend France...
...It so happens that I have spent most of my life opposing violence and trying to expose some ef the fallacies (espe-cially the economic fallacies) which have led nations to war...
...One evening in March, 1939...
...By the same token, Germany would have known that the road of domination was closed, and only decent cooperation remained...
...the defense of Abyssinia would have been a peaceful defense...
...You want to use coercion instead of peaceful persuasion...
...The defense of Kenya is a peaceful defense because Mussolini knows I but Britain would resort to force if necessary...
...The German., argued: "We shall never get fair treatment until we can enforce it by domination, which we can now achieve because the grand alliance which defeated us is falling apart...
...The risk was worth taking then because sooner or later both countries would be compelled to come to the defense of China, and there was less risk in doing it early than in doing it late...
...But my experience in the episodes just referred to taught me a few further lessons concerning the fallacies which lead to war...
...If whst Britain did in 1939 had been done aa a general policy from 1929, there vwuld have been no second World War...
...Briefly, it was that a)l those who believed the aggressions to be dangerous to world peace should somewhat pointedly draw together, preferably through the League, but also irrespective of it...
...No other...
...and that'every day which passed rendered opposition more difficult, and consequently less likely, since the conquest of small nations which sdded to the power to the aggressors took power from those-who might oppose aggression...
...A It ? we repeating it all in some > hit hi lv different form, with Britain perhaps playing, in (elation to America, the part France played in relation to Britain, and Russia drilting into increasing aggressions because the disagreements between the states of the west leave vacua which she feels that she must rill because otherwise they might be filled by potential enemies...
...He is getting the genersl impression that we will stand anything...
...By Norman Angell AFTER the Japanese attack on Manchuria in 1931, followed shortly - after by Italian preparations for the conquest of Ethiopia, and thereafter by the German occupation of the Rhine-land, and the German-Italian attack on Spain, a group of us in Britain tried, on each occasion, to persuade the government and the public that if peace was lo be kept, it was necessary to make it plain to the aggressors that sooner or later the world would oppose them...
...you need not indulge in adventures like the Ruhr invasion...
...collective or combined action against us has become impossible and we should be fools and traitors to 9ur future not to take advantage of it...
...France, in the minds of many progressives _ in Great Britain, stood for continental reaction...
...A lively instinct en the part of Frenchmen that Germany would make a comback, would again attempt the subjugation of - Europe, and that while conciliation would have to play its part in winning Germany to a policy of peace, that policy would never appeal to Germans so long as the alternative of domination remained open, and it would remain open, Frenchmen felt, unices both Britain and America made it plain that they, like France, would oppose another German attack on Europe...
...Unless we prevent this coercion, there Will be no chance of' the issues between those countries being settled by reason or persuasion.' Th'ey wtll be settled simply by brute force...
...As doubtless Russis felt, Eastern Poland would...
...If Britain and the United States had been able to say to Fiance: "Of course we will defend you with all our power...
...Afterwards, in 19S1, there were abundant lessons available, furnished by the first World War itself, lessona which were plain, obvious, urgent, outstanding...
...Simon was still arguing in the House of Commons that Britain ?· ver would, never could, never ought to guarantee the integrity of states in Eastern Europe...
...If only you'd drawn a clear line, I would not have crossed it.'" * * · I NEVER supposed that the change of policy from retreat before the aggressors lo opposition to them Would come with auch suddenness as it did...
...There would hsve been no war...
...In the case of Ethiopia I argued: Mussolini is preparing to attack territory, Abyssinia, which has no great promise as a colony, instead of attacking very promising territory like Kenya, or the Cupe, because he knows that the last two would be defended and the first would not...
...That war, when it comes, will be due to the fact that we left the aggressors in doubt as to how much of his aggression we would stand...
...Peace rest* with yon...
Vol. 28 • October 1945 • No. 41
