Chamberlain and the Lost Peace by John Charmley
Most studies of World War I assume that it was, in some way, a triumph for Britain. John Charmley's important new reappraisal of the immediate origins of the war is based on extensive new work in the Chamberlain papers. It starts from Chamberlain's belief that even a victorious war would be a disaster--it would destroy the foundations of British power and hand over Europe to Russian domination. Reconstructing Chamberlain's policy assumptions, Mr. Charmley argues that they were neither na ve nor foolish. While focusing on the prime minister's personality, he also shows that Chamberlain's views were shared by many other leading politicians and diplomats. Mr. Charmley thus resurrects a whole school of thought on foreign policy which was forgotten in the wake of Churchill's triumph. Unlike Churchill, Chamberlain was not prepared to gamble an empire; but events produced, according to Mr. Charmley, indeed a human tragedy. Early British reviews of the book have called it important, entertaining and absorbing, concise and spirited, and provocative. The Guardian wrote: Chamberlain hardly emerges a hero from these pages, but at least there is no excuse left for regarding him as no more than a wimp in a wing-collar.
John Charmley lectures in English history at the University of East Anglia. His books include Duff and Cooper, Descent to Suez, and Lord Lloyd and the Decline of the British Empire.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780340508534 |
| ISBN 10 | 0340508531 |
| Title | Chamberlain and the Lost Peace |
| Author | John Charmley |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton General Division |
| Year published | 1989-07-01 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |