> “It would be a mistake to assume that there was heavy support for rearmament that forced Chamberlain’s hand.”
I never said that there was HEAVY support for rearmament, but the support definitely shifted from less than half to more than half (votes). The “Peace in Our Time” document signing was the exact moment of the change. That is why England survived (very narrowly).
Labour pretended afterwards that Chamberlain was more opposed to rearmament than they were, which wasn't true. Churchill's supporters likewise played up the differences between Churchill and Chamberlain to make Chamberlain represent military unpreparedness, which also wasn't true.
Ironically, things worked out for the country, because when war did come Britain did have newer and better planes than would have been available if the country had gone to war in 1938 or had started seriously rearming back in 1935 or 1936. Chamberlain didn't intend that, of course, but it turned out that Britain had good luck.