Posted on 10/22/2012 3:17:43 PM PDT by jazusamo
"If you want peace, prepare for war." Ancient Roman wisdom
In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was determined to keep peace between Great Britain and Germany. Dismayed by the carnage of World War I, Chamberlain (along with most of the opinion elite in England) sought peace with honor but in any case, peace.
Yes, Chamberlain had watched with growing anxiety as Germany, in defiance of treaties, rearmed, and as the Nazi party engaged in ever more brazen and violent repression of domestic opponents. Germany's alliance with militarist Japan and fascist Spain (1936), followed by the Pact of Steel with fascist Italy and the absorption of Austria in early 1938, increased Downing Street's disquiet. Yet Chamberlain was determined that Hitler should comprehend Britain's peaceful intentions.
Chamberlain pursued back-channel negotiations with Hitler throughout 1938, as the Fuhrer fulminated about repression of ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia. Hitler's aggressive intent was plain. But Britons, Chamberlain said, were not willing to risk war for "a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing." Britain pressured the Czech government to make concessions to Germany. When Hitler increased his threats, Chamberlain implemented "Plan Z" an offer to travel to Germany in person to negotiate with Hitler.
Hitler agreed, and Chamberlain met the dictator at his mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden. A week later, he returned to Germany for a second meeting. This time, Hitler kept his eager visitor waiting for half a day, and then backed away from the agreement he had made the previous week. Still, Hitler hinted that if the Sudetenland was handed over, he would have no other territorial claims in Europe. Chamberlain was excited by this, but upon his return home, he found that his cabinet was less so. Undaunted, he contacted Hitler...
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Well done, Mona.
What an insult to Chamberlain.
He was a decent man who fought honorably in World War I. He loved his country and tried to do what was right. He got fooled by Hitler and will always be known for that.
Obama is an evil person with no honor. He hates his country and every thing it has always stood for.
Possibly so, however Chamberlain being fooled may have cost millions of lives.
The road to disaster can be paved with good intentions.
On 10-12 I posted that obama's nobel peace prize was also known as "The Prestigious Neville Chamberlain Award."
Chamberlain just had Hitler to be his buddy.
According to what I just read at Drudge, obama has been endorsed by Chavez, Castro and Putin. Just think, if obama wins, he can be more flexible like he promised the Ruskies and trash can our nukes and who knows what else, then we all just sit around the campfire, holding hands and sing Kumbaya.
Seriously, I bet the hard lefties and information challenged believe the endorsements are a good thing much in the same way Chamberlain believed Hitler.
I don't dispute that, there are few that aren't better men than Obama in my view. They both however have really screwed up on foreign policy.
Yarddog, I have not found where Chamberlain served in WWI, not that it has anything to do with this article.
Chambelain didn’t fight during WWI. He was a politician during that entire war. He was “Lord Mayor of Birmingham” and Director of National Service.
Thanks, that’s what it looked like to me also.
I looked it up last night and you are correct.
The thing which made me think he did and which I still can’t figure out is there was a program on “The History Channel” in which they mentioned Hitler and a British Leader meeting.
During this meeting they discovered they had been directly opposite each other during a battle in WWI. When I thought back I could not think of any other person meeting with Hitler other than Chamberlain.
I am certain that story was shown, just can’t figure out who the British leader could have been. Obviously not Churchill and now clearly not Chamberlain.
Thanks...I got to thinking last night and thought perhaps it may have been Churchill you meant because he was an officer and served in WW I but like you say he never met with Hitler.
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