Peace in Our Time - Part 2
In part 1 of this series, we covered Hitler's 1938 speeches about Czechoslovakia. There was a resemblance between Hitler's justification for taking the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia with Putin's for invading Ukraine. Hitler claimed that three million Germans living in the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia were an oppressed minority.
Let's look at the reaction in Great Britain to the appeasement of Germany.
Neville Chamberlain
Hitler and Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain was the British Prime Minister responsible for the appeasement of Germany through the 1938 Munich Agreement. Today the word 'appeasement' has a negative connotation. The dictionary defines it as "the policy of acceding to the demands of a potentially hostile nation in the hope of maintaining peace." The implication is that although appeasement may work in the short term, eventually the bullying nation will need to be confronted.
In 1938, the term did not yet have a negative implication. Chamberlain directly defended the policy in speeches.
"Our policy of appeasement does not mean that we are going to seek new friends at the expense of old ones, or, indeed, at the expense of any other nations at all."
"…policy which I have been pursuing ever since I have been in my present position-a policy which is sometimes called European appeasement…."
"I considered myself justified in founding a hope upon them that once this Czechoslovakian question was settled, … it would be possible to carry farther that policy of appeasement which I have described."
Several arguments have been made in support of Chamberlain's policy.
The horrors of World War I were still fresh in the public's memory. The people were strongly anti-war and were willing to make concessions to avoid another conflict.
Britain (and France) were not strong enough to confront Germany militarily in 1938. Hence appeasement was necessary to give both countries time to re-arm. Both countries had already started the process of re-arming. France was building the ill-fated Maginot Line and Britain was increasing its air force*
Czechoslovakia was not a strategic interest of Great Britain.
The Prime Minister of France, Eduard Daladier, was a World War I veteran who survived the Battle of Verdun. Like Chamberlain, he wanted peace and felt the French public was against war. He also believed that France's military was not ready to fight Germany. France had signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia in the 1920s committing it to defend the Czech borders. Despite this treaty, France would not stand up to Hitler unless it had the backing of Britain.
On 9/27/1938, while the Munich negotiations were still ongoing, Chamberlain updated the public in a radio broadcast. The nation had started to prepare for war by handing out gas masks. Some highlights from his speech (bold added):
"How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas masks here because of a quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing."
“After my visits to Germany, I have realised vividly how Herr Hitler feels that he must champion other Germans, and his indignation that grievances have not been met before this. He told me privately, and last night he repeated publicly, that after this Sudeten German question is settled, that is the end of Germany's territorial claims in Europe."
“I shall not give up the hope of a peaceful solution, or abandon my efforts for peace, as long as any chance for peace remains."
"However much we may sympathise with a small nation confronted by a big and powerful neighbor, we cannot in all circumstances undertake to involve the whole British Empire in war simply on her account. If we have to fight, it must be on larger issues than that."
"If I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate the world by fear of its force, I should feel that it must be resisted…but war is a fearful thing, and we must be very clear, before we embark on it, that it is really the great issues that are at stake…."
Could those opposed to supporting Ukraine make similar arguments?
Chamberlain announcing ‘Peace in Our Time,’ holding paper signed by Hitler
The Munich accords were signed three days later, and the Sudetenland was transferred to Germany. The British people celebrated. War had been avoided. Returning from Munich, Chamberlain made this brief statement: "The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you:"
Chamberlain then read from the document: “...We regard the agreement signed last night… as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again".
Later Chamberlain said to the crowd, "My good friends, this is the second time in our history** that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time."
As we now know, 'peace in our time' lasted less than a year.
In the next post of this series, we'll cover Winston Churchill and others who opposed the Munich Agreements. A quote attributed to Churchill: "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war."
* The Maginot Line was an ill-fated attempt by France to build a set of border fortifications to protect against German invasion. In 1940 German armored forces went around the line, and France fell in six weeks. The Royal Air Force purchased sufficient numbers of modern fighter aircraft to defend itself in the 1940 aerial battle of Britain
** The first time refers to an 1878 negotiation between Britain, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and other nations following the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 -1878. Prime Minister Disraeli of Great Britain made a similar statement upon completion of those negotiations.