By 1934, Adolph Hitler had become the absolute ruler of Germany. In early 1938, he began to push for German control of part of Czechoslovakia. In September, several European leaders met with Hitler at the Munich Conference to discuss the issue. The European powers decided to appease Hitler. They let Hitler have the land he wanted, in order to preserve peace.

You will be assigned a partner. You and your partner will write an interview with one of the leaders who met with Hitler in 1938. Your teacher will designate one of the following people for your interview: Neville Chamberlain (England), Edouard Deladier (France), or Benito Mussolini (Italy). To prepare for writing the interview, you will research the reasons why many European countries went to great lengths to avoid war with Germany.

Look at the photograph below. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Adolph Hitler and Heinrich Himmler survey SS troops in Nuremburg, September 1938.

• What does the photograph tell you about about Hitler’s leadership style?
• What does the photograph imply about Hitler’s relationship with the military?

Use the Daily Life through History articles listed on the right to research the reasons why several European leaders favored a policy of appeasement. As you read, keep the circumstances surrounding your assigned leader in mind. Remember that your interview will need to be based on specific facts from your readings.

Use the Flow Chart to organize your information. Fill in the boxes with examples of Hitler’s aggressive military actions in the late 1930’s and the European response that followed each action.

Using the information that you have collected, work with your partner to write an interview with the European leader you have been assigned. Include the leader’s reasoning for choosing appeasement. Also, address Hitler’s behavior and its effects on the countries of Europe.

Your teacher will use these questions to assess your performance:

• Did you organize your information clearly and systematically?
• Does your interview reflect historical facts and examples from your research?
• Did you provide details that illustrate the reasoning of the leader?