By 1933 the future for Europe

seemed safe and secure. How

far do you agree with this
judgement?
Between 1931 and 1933 there were internal struggles in Europe as British
governments faced problems with regard to Germany, Italy, Japan and
domestic issues. British foreign policy in the period was heavily criticised
at the time and has been criticised by historians ever since. The political
context of appeasement has been regarded as allowing World War II to
take place. When evaluating the extent to which the future for Europe
seemed safe and secure by 1933, it is important to consider the threat
posed by Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain.
One threat to the future of Europe was Britain itself. Britain was hit hard
by the Great Depression. So much so that by 1932 over 20 per cent of the
British workforce was unemployed. Government revenues contracted as
national income fell, whilst the cost of assisting the jobless rose. This
economic depression caused Britain to change its foreign policy,
encouraging a selfish demeanour. Free trade was replaced by imperial
preference. The Import Duties Act in February 1932 imposed a 10 per cent
tax on most imported goods, except those from the British Empire. As a
result the international climate became hostile and Britain faced potential
challenges from Japan, Germany and Italy. Also, the depression affected
British politics. The dispute over spending and wage cuts divided the
Labour party. This would have left Britain with a weakened government,
unable to pass laws necessary to defend themselves in the eyes of a
potential threat. However, in an aid to save the economy, MacDonald
joined forces with the opposition under a National government. This
strengthened Britains position. Furthermore, Britain found ways of coping
with the Great Depression. In 1931 a fully government-funded
unemployment benefit system was launched. Therefore the future of
Europe was compromised by Britain to a large extent, as the domestic
situation influenced its actions towards other nations.
Japan posed another problem for Europes future. Not unlike Britain, the
onset of Depression drastically changed Japans foreign policy. Although
previously interested in international co-operation, Japan now pursued a
policy of territorial expansion and aggression as demonstrated by the
invasion of Manchuria. There was concern that Japans actions may have
invoked Article 16 of the Covenant of the League. This would have
threatened Europes future as it would account to an act of war against all
other members of the League. However, China did not immediately

attempt to invoke Article 16 and the situation did not escalate. Secondly,
Japan voted against the findings of the Lytton Commission, withdrawing
from the League in protest and ignoring its rulings. The fact that Japan
regarded China and East Asia as part of its sphere of influence was
worrying. So was the fact that Japan made it clear that it intended to end
the existing naval agreements to increase its navy. Nevertheless, Japan
was not an immediate threat to Europe due to geographical location as its
main aims were within Asia. Therefore Europes future was not safe and
secure due to the policies of Japan to a mild extent.
A third threat to Europes future was the problem of Germany. Hitler made
an alarming rise to power as Chancellor of Germany in 1933. He was
intent on changing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles including; seeing
an end to restrictions on Germanys rearmament and unifying all Germanspeaking people. So it can be seen that the future of Europe was
threatened as the Nazi government would challenge the existing power
balance. Germany secretly underwent rearmament. This was evident as
Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament Conference at Geneva and the
League of Nations. This was a further threat as Germany was building up
the means for an offensive. Yet, many historians accept that Hitler had no
detailed programme in 1933 and simply improvised as events unfolded.
Thus Germany was a threat to Europes future to a moderate extent,
although perhaps the reactions of nations to Hitlers actions dramatized
this.
Finally, the problem of Italy undermined Europes future. Benito Mussolini
seized power in 1922 as the facist leader. His regime was authoritarian
and anti-communist. Italy became the first facist country in Europe. This
posed a threat to Europe as it may cause facism to spread to other
countries. Italy had similar ambitions to Japan. Leading up to the 1920s
and 30s Mussolini had ambitions to build up an empire in Africa and
regarded the Mediterranean and an Italian lake. However, the
Mediterranean provided access to the Suez canal as a major British trade
route. Harsh Ango-Italian relations would be a threat to Europe as nations
would eventually take sides possibly stirring another conflict.
Nevertheless, Italy agreed to resist any attempt by Hitler to change the
Treaty of Versailles terms and in 1933 Britain saw Italy as a friendly power.
Thus, Italy posed little threat to Europes future.
In conclusion, the future of Europe was under threat from many different
aspects. There were several grey areas surrounding international
relations. Others may argue that Europe was safe due to the geographical
locations of the threat. Nevertheless, there was an air of hostility and
negative relations led to the unofficial collapse of disarmament in 1933.
Therefore I disagree to a large extent with the judgement that By 1933
the future for Europe seemed safe and secure.