Australia and Appeasement PDF

On 3 September 1939, Robert Menzies, the Australian Prime Minister, broadcast to the Australian people the news that their country was at war with Germany. He went on to outline how Britain and France, supported by the British Dominions, had made every effort to maintain the peace by keeping the door open to a negotiated settlement. However, as these efforts had failed, Menzies declared that the British Empire was now involved in a struggle which we must at all costs win, and which we believe in our hearts we will win.

Christopher Waters here examines Australias role in Britains policy of appeasement from the time Hitler came to power in 1933 through to the declaration of war in September 1939. Focusing on the five leading figures in the Australian governments of the 1930s - Joe Lyons, Stanley Bruce, Robert Menzies, Billy Hughes and Richard Casey - Waters examines their responses to the rise of Hitler and the growing threat of fascism in Europe. Australian governments accepted the principle that the Empire must speak with one voice on foreign policy and Australian political leaders were therefore intimately involved in the decisions taken by successive governments in London. As such, this book not only describes the Australian role in these events, but also provides new insights into the Chamberlain governments reactions to the developments in Europe.

Australia and Appeasement provides an important and original study of the making of imperial foreign policy in the inter-war era and will be invaluable reading for anyone interested in Australian and imperial history and the origins of World War II.

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