History UsefulNotes / NevilleChamberlain

* Creator/JeremyIrons is set to portray him in the upcoming film ''Munich''.

* The classic MGM WartimeCartoon "Blitz Wolf" parodied ''The Literature/ThreeLittlePigs'' by having the Smart Pig build bunkers and buy savings bonds, while the Foolish Pigs signed a non-aggression act with the Big Bad Wolf (who was modeled after Hitler). Chamberlain wasn't mentioned, but the Munich Agreement was clearly being satirized.

Despite the agreement, there are a number of historians who have a [[VindicatedByHistory more positive view of Chamberlain today]] with many noting that his contributions to working conditions in factories and the time he bought for Britain were absolutely vital in letting the country prepare for war.

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and Hitler's megalomania was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]] [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was [[{{Foreshadowing}} at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business]][[/note]].

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nevillechamberlain.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[-Yes, in fact, this ''was'' once the same image used to illustrate the HeadInTheSandManagement article.-]]]

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and Hitler's megalomania was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]] [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was [[{{Foreshadowing}} at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business]] [[/note]].

[[caption-width-right:310:[-Yes, in fact, this ''was'' once the same image used to illustrate the HeadInTheSandManagement article.-]]]

Chamberlain did not have very good relations with a number of Parliament members -- he just wasn't a very sociable person, though only a few actively despised him. He also committed a serious public relations blunder in the short gap in-between issuing Hitler his ultimatum and going to war, in that he didn't actually reveal publicly that he'd given Hitler any ultimatum. This ended up resulting in deputy Labour Party leader Arthur Greenwood, who had a reputation as a doddering, ineffectual old fool, suddenly producing the speech of his life and savaging Chamberlain for seemingly sticking to his appeasement policies against all logic. Though Chamberlain had every intention of going to war with Germany if need be, his mishandling of the situation ended up badly undermining his authority for the rest of his time in office. Still, Chamberlain remained a respected member of Winston Churchill's War Cabinet and had a key role in forming the Special Operations Executive until his death from cancer six months afterwards.

On September 1, 1939, the ''Wehrmacht'' crossed the border into Poland, a country that Britain and France had promised to defend from German aggression. Recognizing that the time for peace was over, Chamberlain issued an ultimatum to Hitler: withdraw his forces immediately, or face war. On the deadline date of September 3, no withdrawal was imminent, and so Britain formally declared war, soon followed by France and the Commonwealth countries. Unfortunately, a surprise invasion by the USSR meant that the Polish campaign was over in less than a month, before any meaningful assistance could be rendered. The Allies and Germans then faced several months of non-combat, known as the "Phoney War" or "Sitzkrieg." Following the fall of Norway, Chamberlain faced an extremely stormy debate on the whole issue in the House of Commons and calls for his resignation. The Government won, but only with a majority of 31, which Chamberlain felt was enough for him to resign, with Churchill taking over on 10 May 1940 (the day the Germans started their long-anticipated invasion of France). It also helps that Chamberlain did not have very good relations with a number of Parliament members–he just wasn't a very sociable person, though only a few actively despised him. Chamberlain remained a respected member of Winston Churchill's War Cabinet and had a key role in forming the Special Operations Executive until his death from cancer six months afterwards.

* The classic MGM WartimeCartoon "Blitz Wolf" parodied ''The Literature/ThreeLittlePigs'' by having the Smart Pig build bunkers and buy savings bonds, while the Foolish Pigs signed a non-aggression act with the BigBad Wolf (who was modeled after Hitler). Chamberlain wasn't mentioned, but the Munich Agreement was clearly being satirized.

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was seen as the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and [[PresidentEvil Hitler's megalomania]] was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]] [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was [[{{Foreshadowing}} at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business]] [[/note]].

The most important factor in his decision not to risk war was undoubtedly his (correct) judgement that the British and particularly French public would not support war if he had been seen to reject diplomacy. A big part of the popular support behind the later [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII coup by Marshal Pétain and Admiral Darlan]], and the complete absence of any [[LaResistance French partisan movements]] until 1943, was a widespread belief that Britain had selfishly dragged France into a war that wasn't in her interests. The USSR's rhetorical willingness to defend Czechoslovakia's sovereignty would not have translated into a Soviet–German war either, as the military dictatorship of Poland[[note]]Poland having already fought the UsefulNotes/PolishSovietWar of 1919-21 and had little trust in Stalin[[/note]] would ''never'' have given their greatest enemy military access.

[[quoteright:320:[[RealLife http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nevillechamberlain.jpg]]]]

On a final note, while Germany was far more unprepared for war than The Allies in 1938 Chamberlain was quite right to think–thanks in large part to the advice of UsefulNotes/StanleyBaldwin–that The Allies' material advantage would only increase over time, and that Britain would in any case need at least two years of all-out armament ([[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI as she had last time, in 1916]]) before she would be able to field armies of comparable size to those of France and Germany. In fact, [[GenreSavvy by 1935, he had already realized Hitler was a danger to European peace]] and advocated strengthening the Royal Air Force, and immediately after Munich he commenced such a program of rearmament. The very first thing he did on his return was meet with representatives of various industries to get them to ready for war; many factory workers did their first overtime ever in the weeks following the Munich treaty to meet the government's new orders. Whether this was the "right" thing to do or not (given France's poor [[StrategyVersusTactics operational-level]] performance against German forces in 1940, something greater German unpreparedness could have rendered moot) is still a matter of historical debate, though the wisdom of his decision at the time should be quite apparent from what we've brought up so far (for your browsing pleasure).

* Ronald Pickup plays him in Creator/JoeWright's Winston Churchill biopic, ''Film/DarkestHour''. Creator/JohnHurt was initially cast in the role, but was unable to continue due to his treatments for pancreatic cancer.

That's good enough for high school history, but there's a lot more to him–and his decisions–than that. For a start, while he was a member of the Conservative Party, he was not really a Conservative. He described himself as a Unionist, referencing the defunct [[PoliticalIdeologies Liberal]] Unionist party his father had been in.

Whilst his quote is mostly recalled for its ironic value, Chamberlain was neither naïve nor stupid. "Appeasement" was the ''only'' politically acceptable option, and [[PresidentEvil Hitler's megalomania]] was not apparent [[VillainWithGoodPublicity thanks to his meticulous management of his public image]]. Though he publicly proclaimed that the move would avert war, he started Britain's programme of rearmament just to be on the safe side. His wisdom and foresight paid off when he was forced to declare war upon Germany in aid of Poland in September 1939… and the public rallied behind him and a war [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption they then understood was inevitable]] [[note]] French public opinion, on the other hand, was [[{{Foreshadowing}} at least partly of the opinion that Poland was none of their business]] [[/note]].

* Creator/JohnHurt, in his final role, will be playing him in Creator/JoeWright's upcoming Winston Churchill biopic, ''Darkest Hour''

An often misunderstood politician, this article will very briefly cover what the media will tell you, and then the truth.

[[caption-width-right:310:[-Yes, in fact, this ''is'' the same image used to illustrate the HeadInTheSandManagement article.-]]]

[[caption-width-right:310:Yes, in fact, this ''is'' the same image used to illustrate the HeadInTheSandManagement article.]]

ThatOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain plenty of information about him]].

Prior to his premiership, he held a variety of government positions (notably two terms as Chancellor and three terms as Minister of Health) where he consistently advocated such reform measures, notably his passionate support for unemployment compensation. He was roughly in the middle of British politics during his age - he advocated a restructuring of the economic system and welfare payments to the needy, unlike many other Conservatives, but was against the nationalising of industries and redistribution of wealth advocated by the Labour Party. Unlike the (very) aristocratic Churchill, Chamberlain's father (Joseph Chamberlain, himself a very influential politician) was a self-made businessman, Unitarian, and keen radical reformer who passed his passion for improvement down to his son. Notably, Chamberlain was more fondly remembered by the British working classes than Churchill, who was hated by many (even after the war) for his suggestion that tanks be deployed against strikers. [[HeAlsoDid He also]] oversaw the first significant improvement in relations between [[TheTroubles the UK and Ireland]] since Irish independence in 1922.

* ''TheOnion'''s book "Our Dumb Century", which recounts the 20th. century through fake news articles, has two articles from 1943 and 1945 respectively: "Neville Chamberlain increasingly suspicious of Hitler: I believe he may be up to something" and "Neville Chamberlain slapped silly by little girl." In real life, of course, Chamberlain died in 1940.

* Creator/JohnHurt, in his final role, will be playing him in an upcoming Winston Churchill biopic, ''Darkest Hour''