Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain served as British Prime Minister from May 1937 to May 1940, and is most remembered for the Munich Agreement of September 1938 and his declaration of 'peace for our time.' His policy of appeasement — seeking to satisfy Hitler's stated grievances and avoid a second European war — was not naive: he had served in the First World War's shadow, knew Britain's military unpreparedness, and genuinely believed that bringing Germany's legitimate post-Versailles grievances within the bounds of diplomacy was rational statesmanship. When Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the policy's futility was exposed; Chamberlain guaranteed Poland and within months declared war on Germany. He resigned in May 1940 when it became clear he had lost the confidence of parliament after Norway's fall, and Churchill replaced him. He died of cancer in November 1940. History has been harsh, but his policy had defenders: it bought a year for British rearmament that may have made the Battle of Britain winnable.
- Lived: 1869 CE – 1940 CE
- Nationality: British
- Roles: prime minister
