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I hadn't heard or read anything about Chamberlain's life and efforts outside of appeasement until now. But based on this documentary I would summarise him as a good and hard working man with noble intentions, who should have made a fine leader in more peacefulness times, but whose virtues were of little use, some even a hindrace, in successfully navigating the international minefield he actually faced. I do think he deserves to be remembered more kindly for the good he did in his life, if not for his time as Prime Minister.
do a one minute research on the focus group in England at the time. Read up on Poland's actions before the German invasion. Also look t why the painter annexed parts of czecho
He did so much more than the failed peace agreement, excellent video, beautifully narrated and so interesting to hear of all the social initiatives he drove in the 1920’s.
It's documentaries like this that make The People Profiles stand out as a serious player in documentary making, as always, exceptionally well researched. without information of this high calibre, Chaimberlain will be remembered for his seeming failures, pre WW2. I honestly hope that what I have watched today can reset the balance and more people will come to see how much the man achieved.
Chamberlain was a disaster that almost lost the war. His so called rearmament was woefully inadequate and the RAF would have lost the Battle of Britain but for the influx of many trained pilots from Poland and Czechoslovakia. The price of Munich was that many thousands of German Jews and anti Nazi Germans were abandoned to Nazi slavery. In Frantiskovy Lazne a huge synagogue was destroyed and the many Jews living there were shipped off to concentration camps. The huge Skoda ammunition works inside Czechoslovakia became the Herman Goering works after Hitler marched in, in March 1939. In Singapore a massive lack of necessary investment into fighter aircraft ensured the success of the Japanese and the loss of HMS Renown and the Prince of Wales so Chamberlain,s failures spread across the world. Far from explaining to people before the war the need for significant remarmement, Chamberlian and his cronies persinstently lied, Luckily in the United States there was a President who believed in leading public opinion not following it.
It's strange how his life has been summarized into simply "the great appeaser". He was much more than just one bad decision. Thanks for showing us there was much more to the man. Nice video 👍
@@anthonyreed480maybe, maybe not. This policy only bought a few years at best, and they had to disregard the promises and obligations made to the Czechs to keep their sovereignty intact from the Nazis. War with a power such as the Nazis was inevitable. Hitlers plan was always to launch a war of conquest and genocide in the East. whether the war began in 1935,1937 or 1939 makes no real difference, it was coming. If it wasn’t Poland it would have been something else after that. The third Reich showed its intentions the moment it came to power and began to build up its military in direct violation and the west did absolutely nothing to stop them.
@@Notimportant3737 They couldn't do anything to stop them which is why they had to appease. Even when they declared war, they were still unprepared for it. Were it not for the English Channel Hitler would have quickly closed the western front.
Thank you! As with most, I had only known him as the Great Appeaser. I had no idea of his great and historic work on behalf of workers, the poor and infirm! Like so many leaders of all countries, it is rare that we find leaders who are excellent as both peacetime leaders dealing with domestic issues or wartime leaders dealing with foreign issues. It’s too bad Neville didn’t have the opportunity to write his own autobiography and explain his thinking. I do think more should be done while pointing out his failures to also expound on his numerous successes.
Chamberlain the peacemaker of munich. He wants peace of all cost. But he have no peace. It s a peace just on the paper. Brilliant doc. We always appreciate your hard work to make these videos. Love and appreciation from Sri Lanka .
He didn't want peace, he just didn't want to announce to the world "hey we're not prepared for war" so he wrapped his efforts to stall it in liberal idealism.
Very interesting channel and after watching this great documentary on Neville Chamberlain its strikes me his work to build up England's forces clearly shows he knew what was coming and did his best in trying to prevent another war while getting ready for it.
While Chancellor Chamberlain approved the funding of a massive increase in defence spending. The Navy got 5 new battleships, seven new carriers, 50+ cruisers, over 150 destroyers. The Air Force moved away from biplane to monoplane including the new Supermarine Spitfire. The army got more artillery, more weapons. They were not all in commission in September 193 but there were enough to hold off the Germans. Hardly the actions of an arch appeaser
I must admit I've come away with a much more favorable opinion of Chamberlain after watching this than I had before. Thanks for helping balance out the facts, helping to set the record straight. I didn't realize all the good he did before Hitler came along and now find it sad that his dealings with Hitler are all people think of now when they remember him. For one thing I didn't know about all his positive social reforms as well as how he was responsible for British rearmament during the 1930's. Who knows? Maybe England would have been worse off without him.
History has been so unkind to him. While appeasemt was futile, afterwards he did Everything he could do aid his country with the war. He was a good man with good intentions but that just wasnt gonna cut it sadly
He was a good man, through and through. But he was an amateur politician in a world of real politics. As such he was taken advantage of by Hitler. Had the French been permitted to act in 1936 they could have stopped Hitler with British support. They waited way too long and Germany was unstoppable if you shared a border by 1939.
“Armed conflict between nations is a nightmare to me, but if I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate by fear of force I should feel it should be resisted” Neville Chamberlain
Chamberlain was a great man, no doubt about it, and deserves to be remembered for the many good things he did for his fellow citizens. Sometimes honorable men and women fail when judging evil people.
I would agree with you if not for the fact that part of his failed peace deal was stabbing Czechoslovokia in the back and expecting the power-hungry bully to be fully satisfied and not use their now-even-stronger military to sieze more land to the East, as he had clearly laid out in his book.
"His citizens" - That was exactly the problem. He was the enbodiment of the proverb "The shirt is nearer than the coat." Which is usually fine, except in cases where a flamethrower is involved. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w Those aren't basic facts. Those are falsehoods that have stubbornly persisted for decades even when we knew better back in the 60s. There's no excuse for not knowing better now. A good deal was said at the time of Munich that one reason for Chamberlain’s surrender was his fear that London would be obliterated by German bombing, and there is no doubt that the French were jittery at the awful prospect of their beautiful capital being destroyed from the air. But from what is now known of the Luftwaffe’s strength at this moment, the Londoners and the Parisians, as well as the Prime Minister and the Premier, were unduly alarmed. The German Air Force, like the Army, was concentrated against Czechoslovakia and therefore, like the Army, was incapable of serious action in the West. Even if a few German bombers could have been spared to attack London and Paris it is highly doubtful that they would have reached their targets. Weak as the British and French fighter defenses were, the Germans could not have given their bombers fighter protection, if they had had the planes. Their fighter bases were too far away.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w The basic facts are this: Germany's air force as well as its army were concentrated again Czechoslovakia and were both therefore incapable of serious action in the West. Even if a few German bombers could have been spared to attack London and Paris, it's highly doubtful they could have reached their targets. Weak as the British and French fighter defenses were, the Germans could not have given their bombers any fighter protection. Their fighter bases were too far away. In short, Germany was in no position to go to war in 1938 against Czechoslovakia AND France and Britan, not to mention Russia. Had she done so, she would have been defeated easily and quickly, and that would have been the end of Hitler and the Third Reich.
However unintentionally, Chamberlain taught the world a most important lesson which will serve us well in future-appeasement never works. We are the wiser for his well intentioned error. England has much to be grateful to him for.
The Munich Agreement did not fail. It was Chamberlain's decision to form an unworkable pact with Poland that led to war. He should have pressured the anti-Semitic regime in Warsaw to allow a referendum on Danzig.
A big thanks for doing a profile on Chamberlain, very little In depth on him. Love to see one Wilson, Coolidge and Harding if they're not done already.
It's so sad that's all he's remembered for trying to appease a type of person he never encountered. He did what he thought was right under circumstances
It was still pretty naive of him to expect that giving a bully everything they wanted and allowing their military to grow larger and larger would maintain the peace, especially since he laid out in his book that he intended to seize even more land to the East by force. Churchill on the other hand knew EXACTLY the kind of guy they were dealing with, but his warnings fell on deaf ears, until it was too late.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w I have researched this topic, evidently a great deal more than you. You're just echoing one of the most widespread myths about WW2: the idea that Munich gave the two Western democracies nearly a year to catch up with the Germans in rearmament. The facts belie such an argument. As Churchill, backed up by every serious Allied military historian, has written, “The year’s breathing space said to be ‘gained’ by Munich left Britain and France in a much worse position compared to Hitler’s Germany than they had been at the Munich crisis.” In retrospect, and with the knowledge we have from the secret German documents and from the postwar testimony of the Germans themselves, the following summing up, which was impossible to make in the days of Munich, may be given: Germany was in no position to go to war on October 1, 1938, against Czechoslovakia AND France and Britain, not to mention Russia. Had she done so, she would have been quickly and easily defeated, and that would have been the end of Hitler and the Third Reich. If a European war had been averted at the last moment by the intercession of the German Army, Hitler might have been overthrown by Halder and Witzleben and their confederates carrying out their plan to arrest him as soon as he had given the final order for the attack on Czechoslovakia. By publicly boasting that he would march into the Sudetenland by October 1 “in any case,” Hitler had put himself far out on a limb. He was in the “untenable position” which General Beck had foreseen. Had he, after all his categorical threats and declarations, tried to crawl back from the limb on his own, he scarcely could have survived for long, dictatorships being what they are and his dictatorship, in particular, being what it was. It would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for him to have backed down, and had he tried to do so his loss of prestige in Europe, among his own people and, above all, with his generals would, most likely, have proved fatal. Chamberlain’s stubborn, fanatical insistence on giving Hitler what he wanted, his trips to Berchtesgaden and Godesberg and finally the fateful journey to Munich rescued Hitler from his limb and strengthened his position in Europe, in Germany, in the Army, beyond anything that could have been imagined a few weeks before. It also added immeasurably to the power of the Third Reich vis-à-vis the Western democracies and the Soviet Union.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w The falsehoods you're echoing were throuhoguhly debunked in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich back in 1960... I'm astounded that people are still repeating these myths as though they were fact.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w Then I'm going to need a citation for that that's better than Shirer, Churchill, and every serious Allied military historian that's written on the subject.
Neville Chamberlain may have been rather naive, however, he was a very good man and a man of principle. He has been vilified as an appeaser but he was doing everything in his power to avoid another disastrous war. He deserves better.
I think he should be remembered for his earlier work in his career as a social reformer and not as the failure of the war effort because they won the war anyway
You are amazing, thanks for creating these videos ans making history fun! I would love to know more about Charles the 4th of bohemia, and about bohemian and roman empire history in more detail. Thanks again!!
The air force that defeated Germany in the battle of Britain was well if not fully developed under Chamberlain. He literally was preparing seriously for war while doing his best to preserve peace. I see nothing to criticise there : he was not appeasing anyone.
Chamberlain bought time! War was looming by 1938 and he knew that. Munich offered a very slight chance to avert it, and his advisers agreed that it was probably the very last chance. He signed that document, and in his eyes he did something which might to modern thinking seem strange. He shook Hitler's hand and he gave his word. His word was his bond the handshake sealed that bond. He was not as naive as he is painted and preparations for war were increased. Don't forget too that the country was gripped by the fear of another mass slaughter, and was slowly emerging from the after effects of the US Wall Street Crash of 1929. When Hitler ordered his forces on a false pretext to invade Poland, Chamberlain knew he had been deceived by Hitler. Chamberlain was suffering from cancer too. You can ridicule him, criticise him, but he did try to stave off war, and for that alone he should be treated with respect. Nor when it was time to face the reality of the situation he did not hesitate. He stood with Poland in its hour of need, as did France.
As a 61 year old man and my previous thoughts about Chamberlain wasn't flattering. After listening to his achievements and service to the ordinary people and having the foresight to prepare for war, my opinion of the man is totally different. Well explained 👏
Depth of knowledge brings forth comprehension and understanding ie empathy and sympathy. It is never too late to learn. There is absolutely no excuse for ignorance, especially willful ignorance and mindless self-interest.
We give him a lot of grief in his handling of Hitler. I don't know if he trusted Hitler or not, but he really didn't want war. His intentions were noble but too trusting.
It is beyond irony, and, frankly, into tragedy, that, but for the war, Chamberlain would probably have been remembered as one of the greatest Prime Ministers Britain has had, standing with, and possibly eclipsing, Attlee, whereas Churchill would have been a mere footnote in history, having been, arguably, one of the worst Chancellors of the Exchequer ever to serve in that office.
He did the best with the cards he was dealt. Nearly nine (9) decades later with all the hindsight, all the research... We still struggle to understand Hitler. Imagine dealing with Hitler in real-time without any hindsight with the memories of the Great War less than two (2) decades prior. That's less than the time between 9/11 and now. He was a Right Honorable man who just wasn't cut out to be Prime Minister at that time. Had he served at another time in history he could have been, like Herber Hoover, remembered as a revered leader. 🇬🇧
In 1938, the Royal Navy had many ships but the British Army only had two infantry divisions available for deployment outside Britain. To protect a land-locked country like Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain simply did not have a viable military option at all. Appeasement was the only option for Chamberlain in order to buy time for his country to rearm. It bought him a year. On the eve of the Battle of France, he managed to field an expedition army of 13 divisions. That was still not enough but it was obvious why he had to opt for appeasement a year earlier.
I had no idea of Chamberlain's work for the poorest people in society. He seems to have been someone who was genuinely concerned for those who were the at the bottom of society. He really does deserve to be remembered more kindly, especially in comparison to the seemingly self-serving shower we tend to end up with in Parliament these days.
The support of workers was largely a measure of appeasing workers for his own company’s benefit, I’m a trade unionist and I have to say, this version of events is not exactly critical. For example, not conceding reforms to the hated Trade Disputes and Trade Union Act 1927. I love the uploads btw, just this one is a little hard to swallow given appeasement
Not enough people appreciate the value of the extra time that appeasement had bought Britain's armament efforts, nor Chamberlain's contributions before being PM and after stepping down..
The extra time benefited Nazi Germany far more than Britain. They were rearming at a much faster pace. Plus they gained access to armament factories in Czechaslovokia while Britain didn't begin military conscription until April 1939.
What about the extra time it bought Germany? How it delivered free lands and resources into Hitler's hands? How he also basically assured Romania and Hungary would fall into Hitler's hands?
He was a very good man and did a lot for the people he served. Never knew much about him until watching this. Thank you for allowing us, the listeners to gain a better understanding of him and the role he played in trying to make the world a better place to live.
The Munich Agreement did not fail. It was Chamberlain's decision to form an unworkable pact with Poland that led to war. He should have pressured the anti-Semitic regime in Warsaw to allow a referendum on Danzig.
While history often paints Chamberlain as the poster child for failed appeasement, it's crucial to grasp the context of his decisions. With Germany rearming under Hitler's shadow, Chamberlain pursued negotiation and compromise to prevent another devastating conflict, haunted by the memories of the Great War's horrors. Despite his efforts falling short, his aim was genuine: to secure peace and avert further tragedy. As someone who empathizes with Chamberlain and admires his intentions, it's disheartening to see his legacy unfairly stained by the label of appeasement. Those quick to label him as such really need to delve deeper into the complexities of the time and study his actions with greater understanding and empathy. I love the man really, because we all can relate to a situation in our life where we tried so hard, armed with the best intentions and the information we had at the time, only to come up short. A poignant reminder that even our most fervent endeavors can be thwarted by the complexities of history and the limitations of our understanding.
In the 1920s my grandfather Thomas Hughes was an active supporter of Chamberlain and was regarded by his election agent as his best canvasser. In the 1924 election (29:00) grandfather's tireless efforts almost certainly gained the 77 winning votes, and Chamberlain had told him he would have quit politics had he lost. It's probably fortunate that historians have failed to record the unwitting and indirect part played by my ancestor in bringing about the Munich agreement and, just possibly, the second world war...
My aunt worked as a secretary in No 10 during the early years of the war. She always had a very high regard for Neville Chamberlain, and it seems that his reputation is gradually being improved. Truth is the daughter of time?
Neville Chamberlain is a good example of someone being given too much responsibility. The job of prime minister was too much for him to handle. He did fine with smaller responsibilities. David Lloyd George said about him that he was "a good mayor of Birmingham in a lean year."
Mr Chamberlaine, should be remembered for the work he did for the underpriviled, and work for the good of Brisish working class,., unfortunately, I think most of us only knowof the failed attempt to keep the world/out of a conflict. Thank you for this documentary
Hitlers occupation of Prague and the rump of Czechoslovakia is missing from this show and god help anyj students watching this show for their studying of this period
Good video that gives justice to a respectful man, with a modern mindset for the workers and poors. And probably the one who saved England from Germany air war improving the Raf, against the general opinion. He's mostly remembered for is actions during the Sudeti crisis. That could be off course criticized, but think also the first world war traumatic experience of that generations. The prospect of another war guided his, from outside, naive behavior with Hitler
All he ever wanted was to prevent the war which resulted in millions of deaths, millions of women raped and so much more. But people judged him harshly for it
Judged harshly? His actions did nothing but embolden Hitler. He was a naive fool that played right into Hitler's hands. If he and France had taken decisive action much earlier on they may have prevented the war, instead all this policy of appeasement did was ensure the war would occur and Germany would be in peak for when it started.
Given the entirety of the circumstances at the time, Neville had no other real choice but to "appease" Hitler. He wasn't no dummy, he knew Hitler probably wouldn't keep himself bound to the agreement for very long...but at least this way he bought the UK some precious time to get more prepared and ready should the time come that Hitler would indeed attempt to invade Britain. You know how hard it was for the UK to hold off the Nazis during 1940 and the Blitz? Imagine if that was done just a year earlier with Britain being far less prepared for it.
This narrative is a complete BS, he was naive about Hitler/Mussoliny, if he knew war was unavoidable, he would be stupid not to go to war ASAP as Germany in 38 was considerably weaker than France/Britain compared to in 39 (and it would not be hard to judge that). Germany itself was in massive rearmament and Czech army equipment plus armaments industry increased its strenghts up to 30% in some factors. Italy would also not go to war over German defence and while Soviets would not be able to do much, pretty sure UK would have prefered for them to be at war with Germany at that time (rather than being cosy with them dividing Poland a year later). The only factor that I think helps his case is that such direct action would have been extremely unpopular with British public.
The poster child of appeasement. Clearly we have even more modern appeasementists, when discussing the Ukraine conflict. Tyrants understand only one thing unfortunately. Power.
He simply was not hard enough to deal with those like hitler. IF he had not bleated about peace in our time and waving that piece of paper it would not have been so bad.
Is this a computer voice? Some strange emphases, indicating that the "person" reading had no idea what the text meant. Why not use an intelligent human?
He knew we could not survive as an empire of delusional we declared war on germany.Churchill was delusional and ended the empire and let America brake britain.😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
Chamberlain Was a Good Man but Political Foolish , Because of His Appeasement Hiler Dared to Attack Poland , Charchil was a Great Hero and Successful Combined with USSR and America and Second War in 1945 Anowar Hossain
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You guys are incredible! Always enjoy your work🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤
This channel makes some of the best history documentaries on RUclips, and we're lucky to have them.
I had no idea how much he did on behalf of the working class. I'm glad to have a deeper understanding of him. Thank you!
I did a case study on Chamberlain in 1989 for my history class. This video taught me more about him than what I was able to find at the time.
I hadn't heard or read anything about Chamberlain's life and efforts outside of appeasement until now. But based on this documentary I would summarise him as a good and hard working man with noble intentions, who should have made a fine leader in more peacefulness times, but whose virtues were of little use, some even a hindrace, in successfully navigating the international minefield he actually faced. I do think he deserves to be remembered more kindly for the good he did in his life, if not for his time as Prime Minister.
Excellent comment 💯👍🏾
nah, its just unfair to judge him based on his appeasement effort, its just too easy to pounce on another human.
do a one minute research on the focus group in England at the time. Read up on Poland's actions before the German invasion. Also look t why the painter annexed parts of czecho
He did so much more than the failed peace agreement, excellent video, beautifully narrated and so interesting to hear of all the social initiatives he drove in the 1920’s.
Hitler did so much more. Lenin did so much more.
Yeah, we the people never learn...
It's documentaries like this that make The People Profiles stand out as a serious player in documentary making, as always, exceptionally well researched.
without information of this high calibre, Chaimberlain will be remembered for his seeming failures, pre WW2. I honestly hope that what I have watched today can reset the balance and more people will come to see how much the man achieved.
I believe we are incredibly lucky to have such a channel available to all.
A treasure trove of historical research at our fingertips. Excellent!
The best documentary channel on RUclips
I feel sorry for Chamberlain. He was a sane man in a mad world. Thank you for a fair minded documentary.
Chamberlain was a disaster that almost lost the war. His so called rearmament was woefully inadequate and the RAF would have lost the Battle of Britain but for the influx of many trained pilots from Poland and Czechoslovakia. The price of Munich was that many thousands of German Jews and anti Nazi Germans were abandoned to Nazi slavery. In Frantiskovy Lazne a huge synagogue was destroyed and the many Jews living there were shipped off to concentration camps. The huge Skoda ammunition works inside Czechoslovakia became the Herman Goering works after Hitler marched in, in March 1939. In Singapore a massive lack of necessary investment into fighter aircraft ensured the success of the Japanese and the loss of HMS Renown and the Prince of Wales so Chamberlain,s failures spread across the world. Far from explaining to people before the war the need for significant remarmement, Chamberlian and his cronies persinstently lied, Luckily in the United States there was a President who believed in leading public opinion not following it.
well said he was indeed.
It's strange how his life has been summarized into simply "the great appeaser". He was much more than just one bad decision. Thanks for showing us there was much more to the man. Nice video 👍
Was it even a bad decision?
The really bad decision was surely the guarantee to Poland.
@@anthonyreed480maybe, maybe not. This policy only bought a few years at best, and they had to disregard the promises and obligations made to the Czechs to keep their sovereignty intact from the Nazis. War with a power such as the Nazis was inevitable. Hitlers plan was always to launch a war of conquest and genocide in the East. whether the war began in 1935,1937 or 1939 makes no real difference, it was coming. If it wasn’t Poland it would have been something else after that. The third Reich showed its intentions the moment it came to power and began to build up its military in direct violation and the west did absolutely nothing to stop them.
@@Notimportant3737 They couldn't do anything to stop them which is why they had to appease. Even when they declared war, they were still unprepared for it. Were it not for the English Channel Hitler would have quickly closed the western front.
Thank you! As with most, I had only known him as the Great Appeaser. I had no idea of his great and historic work on behalf of workers, the poor and infirm! Like so many leaders of all countries, it is rare that we find leaders who are excellent as both peacetime leaders dealing with domestic issues or wartime leaders dealing with foreign issues. It’s too bad Neville didn’t have the opportunity to write his own autobiography and explain his thinking. I do think more should be done while pointing out his failures to also expound on his numerous successes.
Chamberlain the peacemaker of munich. He wants peace of all cost. But he have no peace. It s a peace just on the paper. Brilliant doc. We always appreciate your hard work to make these videos. Love and appreciation from Sri Lanka .
How Ironic His Father Made Screws And Neville Chamberlain Got Screwed By Hitler, You Can't Escape Your Heritage
He didn't want peace, he just didn't want to announce to the world "hey we're not prepared for war" so he wrapped his efforts to stall it in liberal idealism.
Very interesting channel and after watching this great documentary on Neville Chamberlain its strikes me his work to build up England's forces clearly shows he knew what was coming and did his best in trying to prevent another war while getting ready for it.
...why only England, and NOT Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
Effectively he bought time for Britain to build up its armed forces for the conflict that was inevitable.
Neville Chamberlain was a kind man in an unkind world.
Well said.
wow - that is well said and so true !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While Chancellor Chamberlain approved the funding of a massive increase in defence spending. The Navy got 5 new battleships, seven new carriers, 50+ cruisers, over 150 destroyers. The Air Force moved away from biplane to monoplane including the new Supermarine Spitfire. The army got more artillery, more weapons. They were not all in commission in September 193 but there were enough to hold off the Germans. Hardly the actions of an arch appeaser
What is lost in discussion about him is the appeasement was because Britain was in no way prepared to fight Germany, which drove appeasement politics.
I must admit I've come away with a much more favorable opinion of Chamberlain after watching this than I had before. Thanks for helping balance out the facts, helping to set the record straight. I didn't realize all the good he did before Hitler came along and now find it sad that his dealings with Hitler are all people think of now when they remember him. For one thing I didn't know about all his positive social reforms as well as how he was responsible for British rearmament during the 1930's. Who knows? Maybe England would have been worse off without him.
Churchill called Chamberlain “a sheep in sheep’s clothing !”
History has been so unkind to him. While appeasemt was futile, afterwards he did Everything he could do aid his country with the war. He was a good man with good intentions but that just wasnt gonna cut it sadly
Thank you..I didn't know .
Churchill said 'history will remember Chamberlain badly' i know, for I shall write it' Or words to that effect. Chamberlain was a good man
Unfortunatly people like scape goats....it's always easy to judge in hindsight..
And Churchill has lots of skeletons in his closet!
He was a good man, through and through. But he was an amateur politician in a world of real politics. As such he was taken advantage of by Hitler. Had the French been permitted to act in 1936 they could have stopped Hitler with British support. They waited way too long and Germany was unstoppable if you shared a border by 1939.
“Armed conflict between nations is a nightmare to me, but if I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate by fear of force I should feel it should be resisted”
Neville Chamberlain
The British people wanted to avoid another world war at all costs. He represented the views of most of Britain people.
Chamberlain was a great man, no doubt about it, and deserves to be remembered for the many good things he did for his fellow citizens. Sometimes honorable men and women fail when judging evil people.
I would agree with you if not for the fact that part of his failed peace deal was stabbing Czechoslovokia in the back and expecting the power-hungry bully to be fully satisfied and not use their now-even-stronger military to sieze more land to the East, as he had clearly laid out in his book.
"His citizens" - That was exactly the problem. He was the enbodiment of the proverb "The shirt is nearer than the coat." Which is usually fine, except in cases where a flamethrower is involved. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w Those aren't basic facts. Those are falsehoods that have stubbornly persisted for decades even when we knew better back in the 60s. There's no excuse for not knowing better now.
A good deal was said at the time of Munich that one reason for Chamberlain’s surrender was his fear that London would be obliterated by German bombing, and there is no doubt that the French were jittery at the awful prospect of their beautiful capital being destroyed from the air. But from what is now known of the Luftwaffe’s strength at this moment, the Londoners and the Parisians, as well as the Prime Minister and the Premier, were unduly alarmed. The German Air Force, like the Army, was concentrated against Czechoslovakia and therefore, like the Army, was incapable of serious action in the West. Even if a few German bombers could have been spared to attack London and Paris it is highly doubtful that they would have reached their targets. Weak as the British and French fighter defenses were, the Germans could not have given their bombers fighter protection, if they had had the planes. Their fighter bases were too far away.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w The basic facts are this: Germany's air force as well as its army were concentrated again Czechoslovakia and were both therefore incapable of serious action in the West. Even if a few German bombers could have been spared to attack London and Paris, it's highly doubtful they could have reached their targets. Weak as the British and French fighter defenses were, the Germans could not have given their bombers any fighter protection. Their fighter bases were too far away.
In short, Germany was in no position to go to war in 1938 against Czechoslovakia AND France and Britan, not to mention Russia. Had she done so, she would have been defeated easily and quickly, and that would have been the end of Hitler and the Third Reich.
However unintentionally, Chamberlain taught the world a most important lesson which will serve us well in future-appeasement never works. We are the wiser for his well intentioned error. England has much to be grateful to him for.
The Munich Agreement did not fail.
It was Chamberlain's decision to form an unworkable pact with Poland that led to war.
He should have pressured the anti-Semitic regime in Warsaw to allow a referendum on Danzig.
Appeasement worked just fine. Adolf never wanted war with us in the first place.
A big thanks for doing a profile on Chamberlain, very little In depth on him. Love to see one Wilson, Coolidge and Harding if they're not done already.
It's so sad that's all he's remembered for trying to appease a type of person he never encountered. He did what he thought was right under circumstances
It was still pretty naive of him to expect that giving a bully everything they wanted and allowing their military to grow larger and larger would maintain the peace, especially since he laid out in his book that he intended to seize even more land to the East by force.
Churchill on the other hand knew EXACTLY the kind of guy they were dealing with, but his warnings fell on deaf ears, until it was too late.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w I have researched this topic, evidently a great deal more than you. You're just echoing one of the most widespread myths about WW2: the idea that Munich gave the two Western democracies nearly a year to catch up with the Germans in rearmament. The facts belie such an argument. As Churchill, backed up by every serious Allied military historian, has written, “The year’s breathing space said to be ‘gained’ by Munich left Britain and France in a much worse position compared to Hitler’s Germany than they had been at the Munich crisis.”
In retrospect, and with the knowledge we have from the secret German documents and from the postwar testimony of the Germans themselves, the following summing up, which was impossible to make in the days of Munich, may be given:
Germany was in no position to go to war on October 1, 1938, against Czechoslovakia AND France and Britain, not to mention Russia. Had she done so, she would have been quickly and easily defeated, and that would have been the end of Hitler and the Third Reich. If a European war had been averted at the last moment by the intercession of the German Army, Hitler might have been overthrown by Halder and Witzleben and their confederates carrying out their plan to arrest him as soon as he had given the final order for the attack on Czechoslovakia.
By publicly boasting that he would march into the Sudetenland by October 1 “in any case,” Hitler had put himself far out on a limb. He was in the “untenable position” which General Beck had foreseen. Had he, after all his categorical threats and declarations, tried to crawl back from the limb on his own, he scarcely could have survived for long, dictatorships being what they are and his dictatorship, in particular, being what it was. It would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for him to have backed down, and had he tried to do so his loss of prestige in Europe, among his own people and, above all, with his generals would, most likely, have proved fatal.
Chamberlain’s stubborn, fanatical insistence on giving Hitler what he wanted, his trips to Berchtesgaden and Godesberg and finally the fateful journey to Munich rescued Hitler from his limb and strengthened his position in Europe, in Germany, in the Army, beyond anything that could have been imagined a few weeks before. It also added immeasurably to the power of the Third Reich vis-à-vis the Western democracies and the Soviet Union.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w The falsehoods you're echoing were throuhoguhly debunked in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich back in 1960...
I'm astounded that people are still repeating these myths as though they were fact.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w William L. Shirer debunked that nonsense already.
@user-wj6dt5bq3w Then I'm going to need a citation for that that's better than Shirer, Churchill, and every serious Allied military historian that's written on the subject.
Neville Chamberlain may have been rather naive, however, he was a very good man and a man of principle. He has been vilified as an appeaser but he was doing everything in his power to avoid another disastrous war. He deserves better.
I think he should be remembered for his earlier work in his career as a social reformer and not as the failure of the war effort because they won the war anyway
You are amazing, thanks for creating these videos ans making history fun!
I would love to know more about Charles the 4th of bohemia, and about bohemian and roman empire history in more detail.
Thanks again!!
It was an informative historical coverage narration and documentary about prime Minister Neville Chamberlin ... Thank you for sharing .
He should be remembered for his social endeavors! He was a man with social consciousness!
Thanks very much for this. It is very good and helps explain a lot of the context.
The air force that defeated Germany in the battle of Britain was well if not fully developed under Chamberlain. He literally was preparing seriously for war while doing his best to preserve peace. I see nothing to criticise there : he was not appeasing anyone.
This perfect Gentleman will never have had the slightest grip on Hitler's thug ways.
Chamberlain bought time! War was looming by 1938 and he knew that. Munich offered a very slight chance to avert it, and his advisers agreed that it was probably the very last chance.
He signed that document, and in his eyes he did something which might to modern thinking seem strange. He shook Hitler's hand and he gave his word. His word was his bond the handshake sealed that bond.
He was not as naive as he is painted and preparations for war were increased. Don't forget too that the country was gripped by the fear of another mass slaughter, and was slowly emerging from the after effects of the US Wall Street Crash of 1929.
When Hitler ordered his forces on a false pretext to invade Poland, Chamberlain knew he had been deceived by Hitler. Chamberlain was suffering from cancer too.
You can ridicule him, criticise him, but he did try to stave off war, and for that alone he should be treated with respect. Nor when it was time to face the reality of the situation he did not hesitate. He stood with Poland in its hour of need, as did France.
The UK betrayed Poland in 1939, and again in 1944 and 1945.
Being right is rarely enough to save you in history.
As a 61 year old man and my previous thoughts about Chamberlain wasn't flattering. After listening to his achievements and service to the ordinary people and having the foresight to prepare for war, my opinion of the man is totally different. Well explained 👏
Depth of knowledge brings forth comprehension and understanding ie empathy and sympathy.
It is never too late to learn.
There is absolutely no excuse for ignorance, especially willful ignorance and mindless self-interest.
We give him a lot of grief in his handling of Hitler. I don't know if he trusted Hitler or not, but he really didn't want war. His intentions were noble but too trusting.
It is beyond irony, and, frankly, into tragedy, that, but for the war, Chamberlain would probably have been remembered as one of the greatest Prime Ministers Britain has had, standing with, and possibly eclipsing, Attlee, whereas Churchill would have been a mere footnote in history, having been, arguably, one of the worst Chancellors of the Exchequer ever to serve in that office.
I had no idea... thank you so much! - and subscribed :)
Reminds me of that line in Yes Minster "We can't always have what we want Minister, Neville Chamberlain wanted peace" 😐
Watched that show a couple times. Funny show
He wanted to gain time, it's as simple as that. He knew whom he was dealing with, he was no fool.
He did the best with the cards he was dealt. Nearly nine (9) decades later with all the hindsight, all the research... We still struggle to understand Hitler. Imagine dealing with Hitler in real-time without any hindsight with the memories of the Great War less than two (2) decades prior. That's less than the time between 9/11 and now.
He was a Right Honorable man who just wasn't cut out to be Prime Minister at that time. Had he served at another time in history he could have been, like Herber Hoover, remembered as a revered leader. 🇬🇧
In 1938, the Royal Navy had many ships but the British Army only had two infantry divisions available for deployment outside Britain. To protect a land-locked country like Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain simply did not have a viable military option at all. Appeasement was the only option for Chamberlain in order to buy time for his country to rearm. It bought him a year. On the eve of the Battle of France, he managed to field an expedition army of 13 divisions. That was still not enough but it was obvious why he had to opt for appeasement a year earlier.
He tried for peace. Churchill was desperate for blood.
One of the few people i admire. A man with courage and integrity.
Stalin also got deceived by the Nazis.
I had no idea of Chamberlain's work for the poorest people in society. He seems to have been someone who was genuinely concerned for those who were the at the bottom of society. He really does deserve to be remembered more kindly, especially in comparison to the seemingly self-serving shower we tend to end up with in Parliament these days.
The support of workers was largely a measure of appeasing workers for his own company’s benefit, I’m a trade unionist and I have to say, this version of events is not exactly critical. For example, not conceding reforms to the hated Trade Disputes and Trade Union Act 1927. I love the uploads btw, just this one is a little hard to swallow given appeasement
Not enough people appreciate the value of the extra time that appeasement had bought Britain's armament efforts, nor Chamberlain's contributions before being PM and after stepping down..
The extra time benefited Nazi Germany far more than Britain. They were rearming at a much faster pace. Plus they gained access to armament factories in Czechaslovokia while Britain didn't begin military conscription until April 1939.
What about the extra time it bought Germany? How it delivered free lands and resources into Hitler's hands? How he also basically assured Romania and Hungary would fall into Hitler's hands?
He was a very good man and did a lot for the people he served. Never knew much about him until watching this. Thank you for allowing us, the listeners to gain a better understanding of him and the role he played in trying to make the world a better place to live.
The Munich Agreement did not fail.
It was Chamberlain's decision to form an unworkable pact with Poland that led to war.
He should have pressured the anti-Semitic regime in Warsaw to allow a referendum on Danzig.
Excellent video!
While history often paints Chamberlain as the poster child for failed appeasement, it's crucial to grasp the context of his decisions. With Germany rearming under Hitler's shadow, Chamberlain pursued negotiation and compromise to prevent another devastating conflict, haunted by the memories of the Great War's horrors. Despite his efforts falling short, his aim was genuine: to secure peace and avert further tragedy. As someone who empathizes with Chamberlain and admires his intentions, it's disheartening to see his legacy unfairly stained by the label of appeasement. Those quick to label him as such really need to delve deeper into the complexities of the time and study his actions with greater understanding and empathy.
I love the man really, because we all can relate to a situation in our life where we tried so hard, armed with the best intentions and the information we had at the time, only to come up short. A poignant reminder that even our most fervent endeavors can be thwarted by the complexities of history and the limitations of our understanding.
Great doco affected my parents generation.
Tried to keep England out of war until they were ready to fight.
...why only England, and NOT Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
In the 1920s my grandfather Thomas Hughes was an active supporter of Chamberlain and was regarded by his election agent as his best canvasser. In the 1924 election (29:00) grandfather's tireless efforts almost certainly gained the 77 winning votes, and Chamberlain had told him he would have quit politics had he lost. It's probably fortunate that historians have failed to record the unwitting and indirect part played by my ancestor in bringing about the Munich agreement and, just possibly, the second world war...
RIP
Neville Chamberlain
(1869-1940)
My aunt worked as a secretary in No 10 during the early years of the war. She always had a very high regard for
Neville Chamberlain, and it seems that his reputation is gradually being improved. Truth is the daughter of time?
Diamond geezer! True patriot. Helper of the helpless ❤
Neville Chamberlain is a good example of someone being given too much responsibility. The job of prime minister was too much for him to handle. He did fine with smaller responsibilities. David Lloyd George said about him that he was "a good mayor of Birmingham in a lean year."
Glad to see your rise since 5 years ago
Mr Chamberlaine, should be remembered for the work he did for the underpriviled, and work for the good of Brisish working class,., unfortunately, I think most of us only knowof the failed attempt to keep the world/out of a conflict. Thank you for this documentary
Few quotes have aged as poorly as "peace in our time", but many didn't anticipate how poorly it would age at the time it was said
Hitlers occupation of Prague and the rump of Czechoslovakia is missing from this show and god help anyj students watching this show for their studying of this period
Everyone complains about Chamberlain appeasing Hitler. Barely anyone complains about Roosevelt appeasing Stalin.
Good video that gives justice to a respectful man, with a modern mindset for the workers and poors. And probably the one who saved England from Germany air war improving the Raf, against the general opinion.
He's mostly remembered for is actions during the Sudeti crisis. That could be off course criticized, but think also the first world war traumatic experience of that generations. The prospect of another war guided his, from outside, naive behavior with Hitler
All he ever wanted was to prevent the war which resulted in millions of deaths, millions of women raped and so much more. But people judged him harshly for it
He’s judged harshly because he sold out the people of Czechoslovakia and his actions guaranteed the war he was trying to avoid.
Judged harshly? His actions did nothing but embolden Hitler. He was a naive fool that played right into Hitler's hands. If he and France had taken decisive action much earlier on they may have prevented the war, instead all this policy of appeasement did was ensure the war would occur and Germany would be in peak for when it started.
Thanks
Given the entirety of the circumstances at the time, Neville had no other real choice but to "appease" Hitler. He wasn't no dummy, he knew Hitler probably wouldn't keep himself bound to the agreement for very long...but at least this way he bought the UK some precious time to get more prepared and ready should the time come that Hitler would indeed attempt to invade Britain. You know how hard it was for the UK to hold off the Nazis during 1940 and the Blitz? Imagine if that was done just a year earlier with Britain being far less prepared for it.
He gave Britain time at Munich in 1938
The Axis was rapidly rearming too.
Very interesting
He knew it was a stopgap measure, and he was fully aware of Hitler's character and intentions.
If he was fully aware of Hitler’s, that condemns him even more for selling out Czechoslovakia.
This narrative is a complete BS, he was naive about Hitler/Mussoliny, if he knew war was unavoidable, he would be stupid not to go to war ASAP as Germany in 38 was considerably weaker than France/Britain compared to in 39 (and it would not be hard to judge that).
Germany itself was in massive rearmament and Czech army equipment plus armaments industry increased its strenghts up to 30% in some factors. Italy would also not go to war over German defence and while Soviets would not be able to do much, pretty sure UK would have prefered for them to be at war with Germany at that time (rather than being cosy with them dividing Poland a year later).
The only factor that I think helps his case is that such direct action would have been extremely unpopular with British public.
Sworn to secrecy! That was my Grandmothers attitude! She was related to him!
Could he have been buying time for Britain to get few more spitfires built to defend our skys
Chamberlain is the biggest Mark in history.
He gave peace a chance... That's brave leadership in a time such as he lived with the burden of making decisions that affected the entire globe👏
I think he was a good guy but was out of his depth when it came to dealing with evil
The 20th century Angela Merkel
The poster child of appeasement. Clearly we have even more modern appeasementists, when discussing the Ukraine conflict. Tyrants understand only one thing unfortunately. Power.
Great Man…his trust and good will to his fellow men, he did not recognize the evilness of Hitler and Mussolini. A true Statesman ❣️
He simply was not hard enough to deal with those like hitler. IF he had not bleated about peace in our time and waving that piece of paper it would not have been so bad.
He was a good MP ND helped later very much
Can you do a video on Ernesto "Che" Guevara ?
Is this a computer voice? Some strange emphases, indicating that the "person" reading had no idea what the text meant. Why not use an intelligent human?
All haters of British imperialism, should see this video and see how many imperialists ended in the hole loosing their shirts in far away colonies.
An admirable chap, appeasement aside . . .
Kinda think those Chek border gaurds might have been SS commandos?
He knew we could not survive as an empire of delusional we declared war on germany.Churchill was delusional and ended the empire and let America brake britain.😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
Neville was a very great human much misunderstood, thank to the very incompetent Churchill who wrote the history to his advantage
Biden is the new Chamberlin.
My daddy was a notorious homosexual in the late 1930s. They all LOVED him.
Chamberlain Was a Good Man but Political Foolish , Because of His Appeasement Hiler Dared to Attack Poland , Charchil was a Great Hero and Successful Combined with USSR and America and Second War in 1945 Anowar Hossain
Like today's simple minds leftists 😅
Because Republicans really want to stand-up to Putin-- right. Clown.
Please consider an biography of David Lloyd George...