Born in 1869 to Joseph Chamberlain, Arthur Neville Chamberlain would quickly be recognized in the political and social circles of London, England, and the world. After seven years of school, he traveled to the Bahamas and managed his father’s plantations. When he came back home to England in 1897, he went into the copper-brass business. In just a few short years, Neville started to get involved in politics. He was elected Lord Mayor of Birmingham in 1915 – and with that, Neville was launched into the world of politics.

In the General Election of 1918, he was elected as the conservative MP for Ladywood. [1] However, because the Prime Minister at the time was a liberal named David Lloyd George, Chamberlain refused his post. When Stanley Baldwin, a more conservative politician became Prime Minister, Chamberlain did accept posts Postmaster General and Minister of Health. [1] In 1931, he took the post of Chancellor of Exchequer under Ramsey MacDonald. Showing his administrative capabilities, Chamberlain abolished the socialist Poor Law set up by David George and reorganized unemployment assistance.

When the Conservative Government saw the threat that Socialist Russia posed to the rest of Europe, they took a course of action much like that of Ronald Reagan. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Sun Tzu. They supported the revolutionaries fighting against the leftist government in Spain. And yet, for some reason, 27 countries signed a non-intervention treaty, saying that they wouldn’t interfere in the Spanish Civil War [1]. Hitler and Mussolini even signed it – but then they ignored it and continued to send weapons, aircraft, and monetary support to the Nationalist Government.

Chamberlain replaced Baldwin as the Prime Minister, and with it brought his policy of appeasement. Many people who opposed Chamberlain were destroyed through effective use of press and political pressure – people such as Blum and Anthony Eden. These leaders were replaced with people who thought along the same wavelength as Chamberlain. The time of appeasement was upon England. Because he had seen the terror modern war in WWI [2], he fervently believed in peace at any price. Many theories at that time postulated that war could be avoided best with negotiation, concession, and compromise. They also came up with an idea that dictatorships arise from the grievances of the plebeians – and if the plebeians could be satisfied, the dictatorship would relax its hold.

Soon into Chamberlain’s stint as Prime Minister, Nazi Germany attempted to annex Austria with the assassination of one Austrian ruler and heavy political pressure on the other. Chamberlain decided that events were out of his hands and conceded. This concession is known as Anschluss. [2] But yet again, Hitler toed the line. He wanted to annex part of Czechoslovakia that contained a German minority, or the Sudentenland. Once again, Neville Chamberlain believed that if he gave Hitler what he needed, Hitler would not go to war. But by signing the Munich agreement, he put Hitler’s Werhmacht within a day’s distance of the industrial and economic center of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain declared that it was “peace in our time.” [3] When Hitler predictably invaded and captured Czechoslovakia and Poland, Chamberlain felt betrayed and declared war on Germany.

Many times, people will blame Chamberlain for the entire start of WWII. For some reasons, such blame is required. Chamberlain ruled over the implosion of European affairs, didn’t act on military information, lied about the strength of Nazi Germany, quashed people who attempted to inform the populace that they must prepare for war, and failed to use the months leading up to war to prepare. However, they often neglect to see that it was his liberal predecessor, Baldwin that did not confront Germany. During Baldwin’s years, Hitler conscripted a huge army, built up a massive U-Boat fleet, and constructed a large air presence. And yet, Chamberlain was dealt a bad hand from the start. His country was just coming out of a depression, his abhorrence for war, and the dictator of Germany that would have war at any cost – all of these caused the present blame of Chamberlain for WWII – when the root cause was at the Versailles Treaty of 1919. [2]

Chamberlain was not entirely inactive. In the final months of Chamberlain's term as Prime Minister, he funneled money to complete the Spitfire and Hurricane fighter craft. He also funded the completion of the radar net around Britain. Both of these activities were crucial in the Battle of Britain. [4] While he wanted to preserve peace, he also wanted to allow Britain to defend itself. These two policies guided his political career. Churchill replaced him in 1940 because Chamberlain was not deemed a strong enough war leader. He died of abdominal cancer in six months – but he stands as a stark reminder of the time we thought that war could be avoided through concession.

Sources:

1. NA. Neville Chamberlain. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRchamberlain.htm. Dec 9 2004. World History.

2. NA. Neville Chamberlain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain. Dec 10 2004. World History.

3. NA. Neville Chamberlain. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page135.asp. Dec 10 2004. World History.

4. NA. Neville Chamberlain. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/neville_chamberlain.htm. Dec 10 2004. World History.