Should Britain have made peace with Germany?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Barnabas
What if Germany instead of trying to conquer europe, had stopped at just reconquering the territories it lost after ww1, (+ annexed austria and german territories in czech republic)

Wouldn England have accepted peace?

The other major powers would probably not have gone to war over the Germans retaking the sudentenland, Memel, or even the danzig corridor. But when hitler took non-German lands like Morovia, it was clear to the Allied leaders that just redrawing the boundaries to put most German nationals under German rule was not his only aim.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


And this made him different from British leaders from QEI onwards how?

Which specific British monarchs or prime ministers and which specific treaties did you have in mind ?


And how would breaking of these (unnamed) treaties compare with breaking the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the Munich Agreement with regards Czechoslovakia and the Treaty of Locarno ?

Oh and

In 1915 the Kaiser offered peace on the basis of a return to the pre-war status quo

details, please.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Barnabas
What if Germany instead of trying to conquer europe, had stopped at just reconquering the territories it lost after ww1, (+ annexed austria and german territories in czech republic)

Wouldn England have accepted peace?

The point is that they stood by with all that until he grabbed Poland. He didn't stop with the lands formerely owned by Prussia but dissolved the whole country.

You might ask, suppose the Germans had withdrawn into West Prussia and Posnan, giving back everything that didn't perviously belong to them?

Answer: You forgot about the SU, which probably would have immediately occupied the reat of Poland including the old Russian Poland. Then Hitler would not have been able to forgive himself, meaning that a whole lot of other people would have to die.

[Patroklos]

The point is that they stood by with all that until he grabbed Poland. He didn't stop with the lands formerly owned by Prussia but dissolved the whole country.

It really wasn't possible to just take back the Danzig corridor, they had to fight all of Poland for it.

You forgot about the SU, which probably would have immediately occupied the rest of Poland including the old Russian Poland. Then Hitler would not have been able to forgive himself, meaning that a whole lot of other people would have to die.

The western powers declared war long before Poland was defeated, if Germany's intention was to restore the rest of Poland they would still be at war with and undefeated France and Poland. I doubt the allies would capitulate untested.

Though if we assume the intention really was just the Polish Corridor (it wasn't in reality) then an agreement with Russia would not be needed (nor sought). You would end up with a restored Germany and a puppet state Poland, same old up to the surrender of France, then probably peace.

[Dr Strangelove]

During the Sitzkrieg didn't Hitler propose peace with the Western powers with a vague offer of restoring the parts of Poland not claimed by Germany or the SU? He formed the puppet state "Gouvernment General of Poland". IIRC the British demanded that he withdraw all of his forces from pre-1939 Poland before they would even consider talking to him.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Barnabas
What if Germany instead of trying to conquer europe, had stopped at just reconquering the territories it lost after ww1, and german territories in czech republic)

The Sudentenland had never been a German state. It had inhabitants of German descent, but then so did the Soviet Union, Hungary, Rumania, Australia, Canada and the United States...

Hitler wasn't even consistent about 'recovering' territories in Europe with German inhabitants, leaving German speakers in Fascist Italy.

[Dauphin]

Better question.

Should Germany have offered peace on the minimum terms that Britain would accept?

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Better question.

Should Germany have offered peace on the minimum terms that Britain would accept?

I doubt that Hitler could have accepted the loss of face involved.

[Kuciwalker]

Hitler did a lot of things he shouldn't have.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Hitler did a lot of things he shouldn't have.

Such erudition.


Physics is fortunate... but not as much as modern history.