Posted: Jun 01, 2016 9:38 am
jamest wrote:With hindsight one can say that acting against Germany in [say] 1936 would have been the correct course of action, but notwithstanding the fact that they didn't know the extent of Hitler's plans back then it is still utter folly to call the British & French spineless after the nightmarish horrors and losses both had endured during WW1 just two decades earlier. Indeed, once they had become fully aware of the extent of Hitler's plans, both threw themselves into the fray once more. Calling Britain and France spineless is utterly unwarranted.
You are making the same mistake as Spearthrower. Acting against the Germans in March 1936 was NOT the same as another full-scale war. The allies knew the strength of the Germans and they would have routed them. Yes, the previous war was horrific and if they had had any spine, they would have quelled any chance of it re-curing by standing up to Hitler instead of appeasing him.
And they would have had good legal cause to dismantle the German army and impose fresh sanctions and occupation if that was deemed necessary.
Instead, they gave the Germans three more years to re-arm and implied that they were unwilling to stand up to any threats.
It is NOT unwarranted to argue that the allies lacked spine at this crucial juncture in history.