Dammit, I think I am becoming a masochist

God knows I am in the depths of depression over this Brexit fiasco, although there are some simmering red-hot coals burning away beneath, so why would I rush to buy a history book which tells the story of perhaps the single most shameful episode in my country's history?  I refer, of course, to the Munich surrender.  This infamous photograph sums it up:

A book has just been released by 'a new kid on the block' called Tim Bouverie and he titles it with due brevity, and deadly accuracy, "Appeasing Hitler".  I have already read a couple of approving reviews but in such matters - natch! - I await the final imprimatur from 'The Heffalump', aka, Simon Heffer.  He provides it in his review in today's Telegraph.

I am not going to enjoy reading it because the shame and disgust will sicken me and I am already full of shame and disgust over the infantile antics of our current Prime Minister and her (so-called) government.  I am too old to believe in the decency of most of our politicians but I must confess that I never thought to witness stupidity and insane ambition on such a scale as we see today which sinks to the depths of cowardice and self-deception as that displayed by Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

Even so, 'The Hefferlump' recommends the book and praises the author, and so I must obey!

 

 

Comments

[TDK]

In 1940 Michael Foot and others wrote Guilty Men (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilty_Men). This focused mainly on Conservatives and ignored all Labour MPs excepting, of course, Ramsey McDonald. George Lansbury, whose pacifism had dominated Labour thought for most of the decade gets nary a mention. (I wonder why Ramsey McDonald, who was expelled from the Labour Party for leading a coalition government and was reviled as a traitor was included? :-))

The reason I mention this is that the template was set by this book. The myth became that only Conservatives supported appeasement, and is the default setting.

A key question I have for you (when you read the book) is: does this new book fill in the gaps or does it follow the myth.

[Note: I don't argue that Chamberlain was right]

[David Duff]

TDK, I shall watch out for the point you make although in my other readings on this subject the Labour party rarely appears. What does seem to be clear is that the 'dreaded Peeps' were more than content to follow Chamberlain's lead. That is what makes the whole thing even more shameful.

[TDK]

I read a review by David Aarononvitch on Sunday and he only mentioned the Conservatives except for a cryptic comment at the end.

The default view across the parties, at the time, was that the Great War had been a terrible experience and we should do all we could to avoid it. Moreover it had become accepted that Versailles was unfair to the Germans and so when they defaulted (and they often did) it reinforced a sense that an injustice had been done. Another popular view was that rearmament itself was a factor in the inevitability of the war, leading to the corollary that disarmament would lead to peace. So I agree with you - the people, certainly first half of the 30s were very much on the side of appeasement.

However when I read today about the terrible mistakes we made, I wonder how any politician would have fared without the benefit of hindsight. For instance: challenging the reoccupation of the Rhineland - I wonder whether any politician could have obtained popular support for such an intervention. Even reversing Anschluss would have struggled to get popular support. Czechoslovakia was the first time Germany made demands on another country. Now, for the first time there was an opportunity to make a stand.

I think we flunked it there, but I get cross when I read about how we should have intervened earlier, often by the same people who complain about British interventions today.

[David Duff]

And, of course, 'TDK', 'the Peeps' have more than a small excuse for their reluctance to face up to Hitler given that their ranks had been decimated by the previous war. Even so, that's what we have our politicians for, to take the hard decisions and we should remember that there was one politician who spoke out constantly and loudly against appeasement!