Appeasement and the Path to War

Active learning works for this topic because students need to confront the gradual normalization of persecution and the choices of individuals in extreme circumstances. Moving beyond lectures allows students to analyze primary sources, debate ethical dilemmas, and recognize how ideology and policy unfolded in real time, making the historical narrative more tangible and thought-provoking.

• Year 10
• HASS
• 3 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the motivations of British and French leaders in pursuing appeasement before World War II.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of appeasement as a diplomatic strategy in preventing German aggression.
3. Critique the consequences of appeasement for Hitler's expansionist policies.
4. Predict potential alternative outcomes had appeasement not been the primary foreign policy approach.

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Individual

Gallery Walk: Personal Narratives of Resistance

Display stories of individuals like Oskar Schindler, the Bielski partisans, and ordinary citizens who hid Jewish families. Students move through the room, taking notes on the risks these individuals took and their motivations. This shifts the focus from victimhood to agency and moral courage.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the effectiveness of appeasement as a diplomatic strategy.

Facilitation Tip: For the Gallery Walk, circulate with guiding questions that prompt students to look beyond the text for emotional tone and subtext in the personal narratives.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Nuremberg Laws

In small groups, students examine the 1935 laws and track how they systematically stripped Jewish people of their rights over time. They create a timeline showing the transition from social exclusion to state-sanctioned violence. This helps students understand that the Holocaust was a process, not a single event.

Prepare & details

Analyze the motivations behind British and French appeasement policies.

Facilitation Tip: During the Collaborative Investigation, assign small groups specific sections of the Nuremberg Laws to analyze, then have them present their findings to the class for comparison.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The World's Response

Students read excerpts from the 1942 Joint Declaration by members of the United Nations regarding the 'cold-blooded extermination' of Jews. They discuss in pairs why more wasn't done to intervene at the time, considering factors like wartime priorities and antisemitism. They then share their reflections on the responsibility of the international community.

Prepare & details

Predict the alternative outcomes if appeasement had not been pursued.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share on the World's Response, provide a structured graphic organizer to help students organize their thoughts before sharing with the class.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teaching this topic requires balancing historical rigor with sensitivity. Experienced teachers approach it by grounding discussions in primary sources to avoid abstract generalizations, while also providing clear frameworks for analyzing ideology and policy. It’s important to create a classroom environment where students feel safe to wrestle with difficult questions, but also guided to avoid oversimplification or emotional overload. Research suggests that structured discussions and role-playing can help students grasp the complexities of decision-making during this period.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students interpreting primary sources critically, identifying patterns in policy decisions, and articulating connections between ideological beliefs and state actions. They should also be able to contextualize human responses, recognizing both the constraints and courage of individuals during this period.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk: Personal Narratives of Resistance, students may assume that resistance only involved physical acts like armed uprisings. Watch for this assumption as they read the narratives.

What to Teach Instead

Redirect students by pointing out the variety of resistance forms in the sources, such as spiritual resistance, hidden documentation, or small acts of defiance in daily life.

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation: The Nuremberg Laws, students may believe that the laws were universally accepted or hidden from public view. Watch for this during group discussions.

What to Teach Instead

Use the primary sources from the activity to show how the laws were publicized and normalized in newspapers and public announcements, making their visibility a key focus of the investigation.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Think-Pair-Share on The World's Response, facilitate a whole-class discussion where students take a stance on whether appeasement was a necessary evil or a catastrophic mistake, using specific events from the activity as evidence.

Quick Check

During the Collaborative Investigation: The Nuremberg Laws, provide students with a short excerpt from a Nazi propaganda newspaper. Ask them to identify the intended audience, the purpose of the article, and how it reflects the normalization of persecution.

Exit Ticket

After the Gallery Walk: Personal Narratives of Resistance, have students write a one-paragraph reflection on which narrative resonated with them most and explain why, connecting it to a broader theme from the unit.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students who finish early to create a timeline linking the Nuremberg Laws to later Nazi policies, using only primary sources from the Collaborative Investigation.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed graphic organizer for the Think-Pair-Share activity to help them organize their thoughts.
• Allow extra time for students to explore additional primary sources during the Gallery Walk, focusing on lesser-known acts of resistance or rescue.

Key Vocabulary

Appeasement	A diplomatic policy of making concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict. In the 1930s, this primarily involved Britain and France making concessions to Nazi Germany.
Expansionism	A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Hitler's Germany pursued aggressive expansionist goals in Europe.
Collective Security	A system where states agree to act together against any nation that violates international law or peace. This was largely abandoned in favor of appeasement by Britain and France.
Sudetenland	A border region of Czechoslovakia, inhabited by ethnic Germans. It was ceded to Germany in 1938 as part of the appeasement policy agreed at the Munich Conference.
Anschluss	The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938. This action was met with little resistance from European powers, emboldening Hitler.