Neville Chamberlain served as British prime minister from 1937 to 1940 and is best known for his policy of “appeasement” toward Adolf Hitler’s Germany. Appeasement is a diplomatic strategy that means making concessions to an aggressive foreign power to avoid war. Rather than challenge acts of aggression by Nazi Germany, Chamberlain sought ways to pacify Hitler. He signed the Munich Pact in 1938, which gave parts of Czechoslovakia to Germany. Chamberlain took from his pocket this paper, called the Anglo–German Agreement, “symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war again.” According to Chamberlain, Hitler interjected “Ja! Ja!” (“Yes! Yes!”) when also signing the peace agreement.
When, later, German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop remonstrated with Hitler for signing it, the Führer reportedly replied, “Oh, don’t take it so seriously. That piece of paper is of no further significance whatever.”
Chamberlain, on the other hand, reportedly patted his breast pocket and said, “I’ve got it!” Hitler instructed his generals to prepare for an invasion of Poland, telling them, “Our enemies are small worms. I saw them at Munich.” During a speech in the House of Commons in March 1938, Winston Churchill warned that the annexation of Austria was just the Nazis’ first act of territorial aggression.
There is a historical uneasiness lingering when the news outlets report Donald Trump’s latest audacious bluster. “Shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” Trump recently claimed. “It will take 24 hours, if it’s not done before then.” He boasted that a talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin is all it would take for him to quickly end the war. He claimed that he has a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president will listen to him, and the settlement “will take me no longer than one day.”
Just a century ago, Neville Chamberlain similarly believed he had a special and great relationship with Adolf Hitler, and that appeasement would lead to world peace. Is history speaking to us? Are we listening?
— Ken Green
Cooper Landing
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.