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)

9781009201964, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 June 2025

418 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 2.2 cm, 0.61 kg

'Peden … has produced an essential reference to British defense policy during the 1930s, and the counterfactuals that he raises at the end of his book offer his readers much to ponder about the origins of the Second World War.' Michael Jabara Carley, The Journal of Modern History

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]