How did appeasement cause World War II?

Appeasement was the name given to the policy taken by France and Britain toward Adolf Hitler's regime during the late 1930s in the period right before WWII. Both Britain and France believed that if they gave Hitler what he wanted, that he would stop acquiring territory and Europe could avoid war.

Hitler used nationalism to make his initial claims. He claimed that Austria had many German-speaking people who wanted to become part of Germany; therefore,...

Appeasement was the name given to the policy taken by France and Britain toward Adolf Hitler's regime during the late 1930s in the period right before WWII. Both Britain and France believed that if they gave Hitler what he wanted, that he would stop acquiring territory and Europe could avoid war.

Hitler used nationalism to make his initial claims. He claimed that Austria had many German-speaking people who wanted to become part of Germany; therefore, he annexed Austria. He also claimed that the Sudetenland was taken from Germany unfairly and many people of German ancestry wanted to be rejoined with the mother country. The Czechs refused to give up this land, but Hitler took it anyway. It was at this point that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stepped in and met with Hitler to ask him about his goals. Hitler stated that he would stop annexing territory and that he was only trying to reunite the German people. Chamberlain flew back to London claiming that he had achieved "peace in our time." Soon after this, Hitler annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia.

Leaders in Britain such as Winston Churchill started speaking out against the politics of appeasement, stating that Hitler would never be appeased and that, by not taking a stand, the leaders of Western Europe were only emboldening Hitler.  Appeasement ended on September 1, 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, thus officially beginning WWII.