Churchill, Chamberlain and Appeasement

The first study to compare Churchill and Chamberlain systematically in relation to appeasement and defence policy in the 1930s.

G. C. Peden (Author)

9781009201988, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 December 2022

418 pages
23.6 x 15.9 x 2.8 cm, 0.75 kg

'Chamberlain, the man with the umbrella, and Churchill, the man with the cigar, were both brand names by 1930 … Chamberlain's dramatic flight to meet Hitler at Munich in September 1938 meant that the word 'appeasement' was associated with him as clearly as if it had been tattooed on his forehead. Churchill's opposition to the Munich Agreement was equally dramatic … But G. C. Peden suggests that the contract between the two was less black-and-white than it first appears.' Richard Vinen, Literary Review

Was Churchill correct when he claimed the Second World War could easily have been prevented if Chamberlain had not appeased Hitler? How far did Churchill and Chamberlain differ on defence and foreign policy? To what extent was Chamberlain responsible for military defeats in 1940? In this new account of appeasement, G. C. Peden addresses these questions and provides a comparative analysis of Chamberlain and Churchill's views on foreign policy and strategic priorities, explores what deterrence and appeasement meant in the military, economic and political context of the 1930s and where Chamberlain and Churchill agreed and disagreed on how best to deter Germany. Beginning in 1931 when Chamberlain became Chancellor of the Exchequer, this book explores the evolution of British policy towards Germany through to the Munich Agreement and its aftermath within the context of Britain's power to influence international affairs in the 1930s and of contemporary intelligence.

Introduction
1. Churchill, Chamberlain and historians
2. Personalities and policymaking
3. Britain and the balance of power
4. The darkening scene
5. The Ethiopian and Rhineland crises
6. Chamberlain takes charge
7. From the Anschluss to Munich
8. From Munich to Prague
9. Deterrence by guarantee
10. The test of war
11. Counterfactuals and conclusions.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS], Second World War [HBWQ], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1]