Australia and Appeasement: Imperial Foreign Policy and the Origins of World War II

The strategic, political, and moral threats posed by the rise of fascist regimes in Germany and Italy were so severe that all the democratic governments faced a myriad of challenges during the 1930s. Australia, as part of the British Empire, was no exception. Christopher Waters here examines Australia’s role in Britain’s policy of appeasement from the time Hitler came to power in 1933 through to the declaration of war on September 3, 1939. Focusing on five leading figures in the Australian governments of the 1930s, it 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 government’s 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 researchers of Australian and imperial history and for anyone interested in the origins of World War II.