Quote:
Originally Posted by chezlaw
If we're including the buildup then Munich.
Until then Chamberalin had been a genius. Destroying Germany economically while rearming, conserving forces and organising the defenses that would later help win the war.
My understanding of Chamberlain's record is rather different. Chamberlain became PM In 1937. In the 16 months from then until Munich, the German economy grew about 13% and inflation was almost non-existant. The damage to Germany's economy came earlier, and was caused by the great Depression following on to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (with which Chamberlain had nothing to do, being only a backbench MP at the time.)
As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chamberlain delivered the budgets that had the biggest cuts to defence spending in the decade leading up to the war. These cuts led to Britain falling behind Germany and Russia in tank development, alhough before them Britain had been in the lead.
The Munich aggreement itself wasn't really a mistake. It was merely the inevitable by-product of previous greater mistakes by Britain and France. The preceding years of military cuts and failure to oppose German expansionism had left them unable to effectively oppose Germany in 1938. They needed an agreement like Munich to give them time to catch up with German rearmament.
The real mistakes were the degree of cuts in military spending in the 20s and early 30's, and the failure to intervene against Germany's violations of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaties of Locarno by remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936. In 1936, a military response would have been successful (according to the German Army's own assessment), and was easily justifiable. In 1938, appeasement was the only option left open to them in the short term.