This is an expensive and very well written book bought for me by my ex back in 2007 so I think it’s the second time I’ve read it.

It basically tries to put a more balanced version of British foreign policy (and the French) after The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and how they dealt with the fascist dictatorships in the 1920/30’s which it does very well.

There were a lot of angry people around post-WWII and these people used their positions of power to castigate MacDonald, Baldwin, Chamberlain et. al. without totally considering all the facts that were around at the time. Probably some of this history wasn’t available due to the secrecy surrounding the government dealings at the time but nevertheless, the case for appeasement wasn’t well defended by those involved.

The basic reason for the appeasement policy falls into these considerations:

• Guilt after The Treaty of Versailles as people thought Germany was harshly dealt with.
• The economic depression of the early 1920’s
• Concerns over fighting Germany, Italy and Japan at the same time.
• The 10-year rule over fighting another way oddly enough endorsed by Churchill when he was chancellor 1924-1929

There is also a fascinating consideration of relationships with the USSR at the time which weighs more heavily than the USA. Interesting that the USA wasn’t much of a player at this time.

Any student of this period in history really needs to read this book as it does give an excellently balanced history of the time and an easy read at just over 200 pages.