Though he hoped history might vindicate his policies, he died a melancholy and physically broken man on November 9, 1940, six months after resigning. Thin and birdlike, Chamberlain was described by one of his adversaries as having “the mind and manner of a clothes-brush.” Even those close to him were often put off by his cold manner, sneering and hateful attitude, and an inherent arrogance.Ĭhamberlain never recovered from the circumstances that led to his downfall as prime minister. He endured criticism for having allowed open aggression by the dictators of Europe, yet his policies gave Britain the time it desperately needed to arm itself for war.

He served as the chancellor of the exchequer from 1931 until May 1937, when he succeeded Stanley Baldwin as prime minister.Ĭhamberlain was successful in social reform, economics, and finance, but he suffered greatly in foreign affairs because he pursued a policy of appeasement with Adolf Hitler.

He was elected as a Conservative to Parliament in 1918 and, afterward, held various government positions (postmaster general, minister of health, minister of welfare). As a young man he worked as a planter in the Bahamas (1890–1897) then he returned to England to pursue an industrial and political career. Chamberlain believed everyone, including Hitler, truly wanted peace.Īrthur Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940), born near Birmingham, England, was the son of a successful industrialist and progressive lord mayor of that city. Certainly no one wanted a repeat of the Great War. Britain’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was an idealist and was convinced that reason would prevail over tyranny. The more aggressive Hitler became, the more passively the leaders in the surrounding countries seemed to respond to him. If Hitler had to invade other countries to make that happen, then he would. He demanded that the German “Aryan master race” be united, regardless of where the Aryans lived geographically. He became aggressive, establishing a totalitarian regime within his country and looking outward to reclaim territory Germany had lost after the last war. Through the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, Hitler confounded his critics with shrewd political maneuvering, rising to the highest position of power. In defiance of the peace treaties established at the end of World War I, Hitler rebuilt Germany’s military might. A failed painter named Adolf Hitler rose through the political ranks in Germany by spouting an extreme nationalism that sought to reestablish Germany’s preeminence among the European nations. W ITHIN TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE First World War-the “War to End All Wars” as it was called-the world moved toward yet another global conflict.

Read an Excerpt Now Chapter 1 “PEACE FOR OUR TIME”

Mere christianity by cs lewis