History Analyzed

A Defense of Neville Chamberlain

June 17, 2022 Mark Palmer Season 1 Episode 5
History Analyzed
A Defense of Neville Chamberlain
Show Notes

Neville Chamberlain has been ridiculed for the 1938 Munich Agreement between Britain and France on one side and Nazi Germany on the other. Instead of being derided, Chamberlain should be praised. Chamberlain tried to avoid a world war. He failed, but a least he tried. And, even though he did not completely avoid World War II, his actions ensured that Britain did not lose the war. Britain remaining in the war throughout 1940 and into 1941 allowed for an eventual Allies victory. As some historians have phrased it, Chamberlain did not win World War II but he prevented the UK from losing the Battle of Britain in 1940 by making sure that Britain had enough fighter planes and an adequate radar system.