History UsefulNotes / NevilleChamberlain

It's worth noting that the Germans were well aware of this strategic imbalance as well, with German generals so petrified of war in the fall of 1938 that they seriously considered (but ultimately rejected due to faith in National Socialist principles and Hitler) a coup against Hitler before Chamberlain's agreement made that unnecessary. The Czechs, incidentally, see Chamberlain as one of the great traitors of history, calling his agreement the "Munich Betrayal", as it was their nation-state that was handed over to Hitler without them even being represented at the negotiations.

The most important factor in his decision not to risk war was undoubtedly his (correct) judgement that the British and particularly the French public would not support war if he were seen to have rejected diplomacy. A big part of the popular support behind the later [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII coup by Marshal Pétain and Admiral Darlan]], and the lack of prominent [[LaResistance French partisan movements]] until 1943, was a widespread belief that Britain had selfishly dragged France into a war that wasn't in her interests. The USSR's rhetorical willingness to defend Czechoslovakia's sovereignty would not have translated into a Soviet–German war either, as the military dictatorship of Poland[[note]]Poland having already fought the UsefulNotes/PolishSovietWar of 1919-21 and had little trust in Stalin[[/note]] would ''never'' have given their greatest enemy military access.

On a final note, while Germany was far more unprepared for war than The Allies in 1938 Chamberlain was quite right to think–thanks in large part to the advice of UsefulNotes/StanleyBaldwin–that The Allies' material advantage would only increase over time, and that Britain would in any case need at least two years of all-out armament ([[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI as she had last time, in 1916]]) before she would be able to field armies of comparable size to those of France and Germany. In fact, by 1935, he had already realized Hitler was a danger to European peace and advocated strengthening the Royal Air Force, and immediately after Munich he commenced such a program of rearmament. The very first thing he did on his return was meet with representatives of various industries to get them to ready for war; many factory workers did their first overtime ever in the weeks following the Munich treaty to meet the government's new orders. Whether this was the "right" thing to do or not (given France's poor [[StrategyVersusTactics operational-level]] performance against German forces in 1940, something greater German unpreparedness could have rendered moot) is still a matter of historical debate, though the wisdom of his decision at the time should be quite apparent from what we've brought up so far (for your browsing pleasure).

There was also the matter that the UK didn't want to go to war if it could avoid it at all– war over the Czech Germans wouldn't have just been controversial, it would have been ''deeply'' unpopular if not unjustifiable to the French leadership and public. Chamberlain wasn't the only Allied leader at Munich, it must be remembered--Prime Minister Édouard Daladier also approved of negotiation for the same reasons. UsefulNotes/WorldWarI had killed a million each of both countries' best and brightest young men, and even though their reserves of trained manpower had been replenished (and stood at nearly a dozen times that of Germany's), the psychological aversion to warfare hadn't. The antiwar stance was the one which best represented public opinion at the time, the Munich Agreement being generally popular in Britain and France with {{UsefulNotes/Winston Churchill}} being the most famous of a mere handful of dissenters. A Mass Observation poll of the time put public approval for Munich at about 60% and opposition at 30%, the rest being undecided.

Despite the agreement, there are a number of historians who have a [[VindicatedByHistory more positive view of Chamberlain today]] with many noting that his contributions to working conditions in factories and the time he bought for Britain were absolutely vital in letting the country prepare for war. For instance, the Chain Home radar system and RAF Fighter Command structure that won the Battle of Britain were developed under his premiership, to say nothing of the [[CoolPlane Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane]] that actually did the fighting.

Munich was also not a clear-cut example of NSDAP-German aggression or expansionism - the ethnic Germans of Bohemia-Moravia had consistently voted for extremist nationalist parties (Communist or Fascist) who had advocated independence or political union with Germany in every general election since the country's formation in the aftermath of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. The demands for Polish territory in 1939 were very different as The World had had a very dramatic insight into Hitler's actual and astonishingly radical agenda (re: the annexation of Bohemia-Moravia and the subjugation of Slovakia).

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and Hitler's megalomania was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]].[[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business.[[/note]]

Chamberlain's treatment in the modern media almost [[NeverLiveItDown begins and ends with the famous 'peace in our time' quote]].[[note]] [[BeamMeUpScotty Which was actually 'peace FOR our time]]'. [[/note]] As Prime Minister, he signed the doomed Munich Agreement with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, declared there would be 'peace for our time', [[HeadInTheSandManagement stuck his head in the sand]] and ignored Hitler's aggression, and was forced to resign due to health issues, but only after [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII declaring war on Germany for her declaration of war on Poland.]]

Chamberlain's treatment in the modern media almost [[NeverLiveItDown begins and ends with the famous "peace in our time" quote]].[[note]][[BeamMeUpScotty Which was actually "peace for our time]]".[[/note]] As Prime Minister, he signed the doomed Munich Agreement with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, declared there would be 'peace for our time', [[HeadInTheSandManagement stuck his head in the sand]] and ignored Hitler's aggression, and was forced to resign due to health issues, but only after [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII declaring war on Germany for her declaration of war on Poland.]]

Chamberlain was the last PM to date who never faced the electorate as party leader or Prime Minister until UsefulNotes/LizTruss in 2022; his predecessor Baldwin had contested (and won) the general election of 1935, and his successor Churchill would contest (and lose) the subsequent general election, in 1945.

* Portrayed by Jaroslav Radimecký in the Czechoslovak film ''Film/DaysOfBetrayal''.

-->-- '''UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill,''' on Neville Chamberlain

-->-- '''UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill,''' on '''Neville Chamberlain'''

!Neville Chamberlain in fiction:

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and Hitler's megalomania was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]]. [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business.[[/note]]

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and Hitler's megalomania was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]] [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business[[/note]].

no winners, but all are losers."'']]-]

The most important factor in his decision not to risk war was undoubtedly his (correct) judgement that the British and particularly French public would not support war if he had been seen to reject diplomacy. A big part of the popular support behind the later [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII coup by Marshal Pétain and Admiral Darlan]], and the lack of prominent [[LaResistance French partisan movements]] until 1943, was a widespread belief that Britain had selfishly dragged France into a war that wasn't in her interests. The USSR's rhetorical willingness to defend Czechoslovakia's sovereignty would not have translated into a Soviet–German war either, as the military dictatorship of Poland[[note]]Poland having already fought the UsefulNotes/PolishSovietWar of 1919-21 and had little trust in Stalin[[/note]] would ''never'' have given their greatest enemy military access.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neville_chamberlain_1.png]]

Chamberlain's history in the modern media almost [[NeverLiveItDown begins and ends with the "peace in our time" quote]].[[note]][[BeamMeUpScotty Which was actually "peace for our time]]".[[/note]] He became Prime Minister of the UK, signed the Munich Agreement with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, declared there would be 'peace for our time', [[HeadInTheSandManagement stuck his head in the sand]] and ignored Hitler's aggression, and then had to resign after [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII declaring war on Germany for her declaration of war upon Poland.]]

That's good enough for high school history, but there's a lot more to him–and his decisions–than that. For a start, while he was a member of the Conservative Party, he was not really a Conservative. He described himself as a Unionist, referencing the defunct [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies Liberal]] Unionist party his father had been in.

Prior to his premiership, he held a variety of government positions (notably two terms as Chancellor and three terms as Minister of Health) where he consistently advocated such reform measures, notably his passionate support for unemployment compensation. He was roughly in the middle of British politics during his age - he advocated a restructuring of the economic system and welfare payments to the needy, unlike many other Conservatives, but was against the nationalising of industries and redistribution of wealth advocated by the Labour Party. Unlike the (very) aristocratic Churchill, Chamberlain's father (Joseph Chamberlain, himself a very influential politician) was a self-made businessman, Unitarian, and keen radical reformer who passed his passion for improvement down to his son. Notably, Chamberlain was more fondly remembered by the British working classes than Churchill, who was hated by many (even after the war) for his suggestion that tanks be deployed against strikers. [[HeAlsoDid He also]] oversaw the first significant improvement in relations between [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles the UK and Ireland]] since Irish independence in 1922.

Website/ThatOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain plenty of information about him]].

Chamberlain was the last PM to date who never faced the electorate as party leader or Prime Minister until UsefulNotes/LizTruss in 2022; his predecessor Baldwin had fought (and won) the general election of 1935, and his successor Churchill would fight (and lose) the subsequent general election, in 1945.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neville_chamberlain_1.png]]

Chamberlain is the last PM to date who never faced the electorate as party leader or Prime Minister until UsefulNotes/LizTruss in 2022; his predecessor Baldwin had fought (and won) the general election of 1935, and his successor Churchill would fight (and lose) the subsequent general election, in 1945.

Chamberlain is the last PM to date who never faced the electorate as party leader or Prime Minister; his predecessor Baldwin had fought (and won) the general election of 1935, and his successor Churchill would fight (and lose) the subsequent general election, in 1945.

On September 1, 1939, the ''Wehrmacht'' crossed the border into Poland, a country that Britain and France had promised to defend from German aggression. Recognizing that the time for peace was over, Chamberlain issued an ultimatum to Hitler: withdraw his forces immediately, or face war. On the deadline date of September 3, no withdrawal was imminent, and so Britain formally declared war, soon followed by France and the Commonwealth countries. Unfortunately, a surprise invasion by the USSR meant that the Polish campaign was over in less than a month, before any meaningful assistance could be rendered. The Allies and Germans then faced several months of non-combat, known as the "Phoney War" or "Sitzkrieg." Following the fall of Norway, Chamberlain faced an extremely stormy debate on the whole issue in the House of Commons and calls for his resignation. The Government won, but only with a majority of 31, which Chamberlain felt was enough for him to resign, with Churchill taking over on 10 May 1940 (the day the Germans started their long-anticipated invasion of France).

[[quoteright:278:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chamberlain_hitler.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:278:[-Yes, in fact, this ''was'' once the same image used to illustrate the HeadInTheSandManagement article.-]]]

Wiki/ThatOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain plenty of information about him]].