Appeasement

In 1938 a crisis arose in Europe. Hitler had already defied the other nations by violating the Treaty of Versailles. He re-armed the Ruhr Valley of northwestern Germany. He annexed Austria. Now he was threatening to annex part of Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland). A new world war was possible. The British Prime Minister and the French Premier met with Hitler to settle the issue. Hitler said this was going to be his last demand for more land in Europe. They decided to appease him. They yielded to his demands.

The British Prime Minister returned to London and announced jubilantly, "We have insured peace for our time." Everyone rejoiced. The English Poet Laureate wrote a poem on the subject. But the euphoria lasted only a few months. In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland, and World War II started. The British Prime Minister resigned. Winston Churchill took over to salvage the situation.

It was one more proof of an old truth: Appeasement never works. The hungry lion might be quieted by eating a lamb today. But tomorrow it will again be hungry and will eat more lambs. Appeasement does not prevent war. It makes war inevitable. The same with every kind of conflict.

There is an example of the futility of appeasement in Rizal’s El Filibusterismo. A man named Telesforo (nicknamed Ta-les) opens new land in a forest, cutting down trees, clearing the jungle, etc. Malaria kills his wife and daughter. But he establishes a farm. The friars claim the land as part of their property and demand a yearly fee (canon). Tales’s old father tells him "Patience, don’t fight. Yield." Because the farm prospers, the fee is increased every year. "Patience. Yield," says the old man. Finally the fee is so high Tales can no longer pay it. He refuses to pay. He is evicted and his farm is given to someone else. Tales goes berserk and kills people. Appeasement had not worked.

There is a saying, "A stitch in time saves nine." A little tear in the clothes can be easily mended. Left unmended, the tear becomes bigger and bigger until the entire garment has to be thrown away.

There is also the old story: For lack of a nail, a horseshoe is lost. For lack of a shoe, a horse is lost. For lack of a horse, a rider is lost. For want of that rider, a battle is lost. And all for the lack of a horseshoe nail.

To yield to unreasonable demands might seem a way of insuring peace. But those who can get away with unreasonable demands now, will make ever more unreasonable demands in future, until finally, there is a confrontation that could be violent.

Appeasement never works. It makes war or conflict inevitable.

There is a principle in moral education: "Obsta principiis." (Oppose the beginnings.) Bad actions can be easily corrected before they become a habit. (Like drink or drugs.) Unreasonable demands have to be resisted from the start. Otherwise, the demands will continue and become worse.

A very good constitutional expert (Father Joaquin Bernas) has analyzed the start of martial law. The President used a trial balloon. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court dutifully supported him. That proved to the President that he did not have to fear the Supreme Court. He declared martial law. And the Supreme Court had no choice. It was too late to oppose him.

Appeasement leads to more and more appeasements. Or to a violent confrontation.