Neville Chamberlain / Edition 1

by Nick Smart

Overview

Neville Chamberlain, the Conservative Prime Minister who pursued the doomed policy of appeasing Hitler, is one of the most reinterpreted of modern British Prime Ministers.

Infamous on account of his declaration of having achieved ‘peace for our time’, Neville Chamberlain has often been portrayed as a social reformer out of sync with the times in which he lived. In this new biography, Nick Smart offers a picture conditioned more by the opinions of contemporaries than by hindsight, examining Chamberlain's life, career, achievements and failures. Stressing that the system in which Chamberlain found himself operating had more impact on the historical developments than anything he did personally, Smart describes a man who was hardworking but ultimately out of his depth, destined to be remembered in history as the fall-guy to Winston Churchill’s hero.

Presenting Chamberlain's life and politics in a nuanced way, Nick Smart's biography is a must read for anyone interested in British politics and its impact on the international stage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415367974
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/22/2009
Series:	Routledge Historical Biographies
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Nick Smart is Lecturer in History at the University of Plymouth.

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Family and Early Life 2. Early Manhood 3. Birmingham Businessman 4. Birmingham Politics 5. Whitehall and Westminster 6. Member of Parliament 7. Politics and Ambition 1923–1929 8. Opposition and National Government 1929–1931 9. Chancellor Again 1931–1935 10. Foreign Policy, Kings and Rearmament 1935–1937 11. Prime Minister 12. War and Death