Neville Chamberlain’s war

Neville Chamberlain’s War – In this new World War II history the author argues that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was not a naïve appeaser but a reckless warrior. Chamberlain is associated mainly with a failed policy of Nazi appeasement. By signing the Munich Agreement with other leaders in 1938, Chamberlain allowed Germany to seize the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia, hoping in vain that it would curb the Nazi dictator’s expansionist ambitions. According to the author, however, Chamberlain’s mistakes far exceed the Munich Agreement. He was the prime minister when Britain formally declared war on Germany in 1939 and thus a dominant figure at a pivotal moment. He largely kept British forces out of open conflict, thinking, again in vain, that he could break the Germans via economic pressures. This early period of the war, prior to Germany’s invasion of France and the commencement of large-scale battle is perhaps the least covered of the entire conflict. Despite this, the author argues, it has vital lessons to teach us: “There was nothing glorious about the Phoney War and that is precisely why it merits our attention,” writes the author in his introduction. “In the context of international relations, it was worse than a crime—a tragic blunder.” The author effectively argues that Chamberlain accelerated Germany’s conquest by declaring a war that he had no intention of prosecuting, thus inviting Hitler to subjugate a number of countries that might otherwise have escaped brutal, multiyear occupation. Chamberlain’s missteps, the author asserts, proved catastrophic not only for millions of Europeans but also for the future of the British Empire. Author’s account is thoroughly researched and inflected with thrilling, lesser-known details of the time. The author adeptly documents the numerous tiny decisions that influenced the course of history. The author provides an engaging window into an underexplored time frame and convincingly argues that this period of the war still has much to teach people. The Weekender