History Analyzed
History Analyzed is a podcast which investigates both history's biggest moments and best kept secrets. Your host, Mark Palmer, draws upon a history degree from the University of Notre Dame and literal decades of informal study. He explains not only what happened, but also why and how historical events occurred. At times, he examines how these events have shaped the present and continue to affect us today.
History Analyzed
A Defense of Neville Chamberlain
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Mark Palmer
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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.