Chamberlain and Appeasement: British Policy and the Coming of the Second World War (The Making of the Twentieth Century)

A well balanced and detailed acount of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement which shows how Chamberlain's personality was the critical factor in the dogged pursuit of appeasement. Whilst the majority of the British people supported this policy until Munich, Chamberlain clung to it after the mood of the nation had turned against it, even believing in its possibilities after the Nazi invasion of Prague.

well written

I find this book was too slow at getting the main point of his argument, however it is still a very good book for any academic essays on the appeasement.

Drawing upon cabinet and government papers and contemporary writings of the participants, Parker presents an overview of the evolution of 'appeasement' from the period of the Baldwin government to the outbreak of World War 2, focussing on the commanding role of Neville Chamberlain. It delineates the conflicting pressures of realpolitik and his own immoveable (stubborn) doctrines of foreign and defence policy which he faced, details the sometimes hour-by-hour development of events and brings to life the extraordinary cast of characters at the centre of affairs. By scrupulously avoiding the wisdom of hindsight, Parker is able to reach a remarkably balanced and objective view. The book might have benefited from some editing however: there are needless repetitions and an occasional lack of narrative clarity in the way in which events are set out. This reader found the prose somewhat 'clunky': again, delicate editing might have made it a more approachable read. It is, apart from these minor caveats, a valuable contribution to the understanding of this complex and controversial period.