Iain Macleod (2)

The image of Chamberlain in the minds of most is the newsreel footage of him descending the steps of an airplane after returning from his meeting in Munich with Hitler and Mussolini, waving a piece of paper with their signatures, and announcing "peace in our time". What is not so well known is that Chamberlain was under no illusion about the value of the paper, yet he also knew that after years of budget cuts and disarmament, England was in no condition to stand up to Hitler over Czechoslovakia. He knew there would be a next confrontation, a new demand, and began quietly to prepare for the inevitable. That at least is the revisionist view told by Macleod, written while Chairman of the Conservative Party, and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is indisputable that once war broke out, Chamberlain would never have stirred the nation the way that Churchill did. Still, if like me, you grew up hearing only Churchill's version of interwar politics in England, you should probably check this out to balance your view.… (altro)