Most studies of World War II assume that it was, in some way, a triumph for Britain. John Charmley's important new reappraisal of the immediate origins of the war is based on extensive new work in the Chamberlain papers. It starts from Chamberlain's belief that even a victorious war would be a disaster-it would destroy the foundations of British power and hand over Europe to Russian domination. Reconstructing Chamberlain's policy assumptions, Mr. Charmley argues that they were neither naive nor foolish. While focusing on the prime minister's personality, he also shows that Chamberlain's views were shared by many other leading politicians and diplomats. Mr. Charmley thus resurrects a whole school of thought on foreign policy which was forgotten in the wake of Churchill's triumph. Unlike Churchill, Chamberlain was not prepared to gamble an empire; but events produced, according to Mr. Charmley, indeed a "human tragedy." Early British reviews of the book have called it "important," "entertaining and absorbing," "concise and spirited," and "provocative." The Guardian wrote: "Chamberlain hardly emerges a hero from these pages, but at least there is no excuse left for regarding him as no more than a wimp in a wing-collar."

About the Author
John Charmley lectures in English history at the University of East Anglia. His books include Duff and Cooper, Descent to Suez, and Lord Lloyd and the Decline of the British Empire.

Reviews
Important. * The Spectator *
A useful, scholarly, and controversial book. -- Eau Claire * CHOICE *
Entertaining and absorbing. * The Guardian *
A concise and spirited defense of Chamberlain, questioning the need to guarantee Poland and fight the war. * The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy *
Charmley's portrait is persuasive. -- F. M. Leventhal * American Historical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781566632478
Author John Charmley
Format Paperback
Page Count 271
Imprint Ivan R Dee, Inc
Publisher Ivan R Dee, Inc
Weight(grams) 440g
Dimensions(mm) 219mm * 154mm * 17mm