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The Life of Neville Chamberlain
A major biography of Britain's Tory Prime Minister in the critical years before WWII (Hitler and Munich, Appeasement, War), based on family and other papers. His surviving papers afford rich historical material extending from his earliest travel diaries down to the narrative of his interviews with Hitler, and the extinction of all his hopes in the outbreak of war.
475 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
About the author
Keith Feiling
23 books3 followersSir Keith Grahame Feiling, OBE, was a British historian, biographer and academic. He was Chichele Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, 1946–1950.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 13, 2012
A study in tragedy. Here was a man who was honest and noble and expected the same from others. It must be said that he was oblivious to the evil of others and that he had several character flaws.
He was a Victorian gentleman. Neville Chamberlain had trouble seeing outside his own prism of the world. After all, his life was rather circumscribed; he inherited a business and slowly worked himself into politics. It is true that he spent formative years in the Bahamas, but this – as the author describes – was a solitary venture and did not provide proximity with a diversity of human beings. When he reached national government he became involved in financial matters. In other words Neville Chamberlain did not have dealings with the sordid underworld of politics and more particularly, international politics. He was a rationalist accountant. He was ill-equipped as a human being to deal with the likes of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin – the ultra and hateful nationalist politics of Europe.
In contrast Churchill’s career was far more international – he travelled and lived in North America, Africa (the Sudan and South Africa) and India. He had a far greater background of all types of human behaviour – the highs and lows of man and woman. He had experienced first-hand the tragedy of Gallipoli. Churchill was also, for a short period, in the trenches of World War I.
Keith Feiling is, I feel, too much in admiration of Neville Chamberlain, but to his credit the tragic flaws of this man become apparent as you read through the book.
Neville Chamberlain was a good politician for ordinary times – the 1930’s were not ordinary. He was too headstrong and dismissive of those who did not agree with him – the resignation of Anthony Eden as Foreign Minister is a good example. Chamberlain also had too much of a ‘go it alone’ attitude – he did not want others to interfere or re-adjust his pre-ordained views. He bluntly negated Roosevelt’s wish to have a unified meeting of the democratic nations – a serious mistake at that juncture in time in early 1938. His hubris and single-mindedness brought about Munich.
One also gets the impression throughout of a nation over-burdened – with problems of the depression of the 1930’s, of coping with their vast empire overseas and at times hardly aware of the volatile European situation across the English Channel. We see an insular empire collapsing beneath the weight of overwrought responsibilities.
The author is clear and correct that appeasement is what Neville Chamberlain desired and believed would establish European peace.
Keith Feiling cites numerous letters that the Munich debacle bought precious time for England; this is dubious reasoning at best. Better is the comment from Masaryk - “If you have sacrificed my nation to preserve the peace of the world, I will be the first to applaud you. But if not, gentlemen, God help your souls.”
One must give credit to Neville Chamberlain in that he finally saw through his errors or methodology and did not flinch from declaring war on Germany after the Polish invasion.
The first half of the book I found tedious with passages of Neville Chamberlain’s early career. I also found the writing style somewhat awkward.
The latter half – with his role in national government, is far more interesting. Aside from short descriptions of his married life and children - there is little on Neville Chamberlain’s personal life. The author does an efficient job in detailing events as they were perceived during that era – and not writing a retrospective analysis.
He was a Victorian gentleman. Neville Chamberlain had trouble seeing outside his own prism of the world. After all, his life was rather circumscribed; he inherited a business and slowly worked himself into politics. It is true that he spent formative years in the Bahamas, but this – as the author describes – was a solitary venture and did not provide proximity with a diversity of human beings. When he reached national government he became involved in financial matters. In other words Neville Chamberlain did not have dealings with the sordid underworld of politics and more particularly, international politics. He was a rationalist accountant. He was ill-equipped as a human being to deal with the likes of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin – the ultra and hateful nationalist politics of Europe.
In contrast Churchill’s career was far more international – he travelled and lived in North America, Africa (the Sudan and South Africa) and India. He had a far greater background of all types of human behaviour – the highs and lows of man and woman. He had experienced first-hand the tragedy of Gallipoli. Churchill was also, for a short period, in the trenches of World War I.
Keith Feiling is, I feel, too much in admiration of Neville Chamberlain, but to his credit the tragic flaws of this man become apparent as you read through the book.
Neville Chamberlain was a good politician for ordinary times – the 1930’s were not ordinary. He was too headstrong and dismissive of those who did not agree with him – the resignation of Anthony Eden as Foreign Minister is a good example. Chamberlain also had too much of a ‘go it alone’ attitude – he did not want others to interfere or re-adjust his pre-ordained views. He bluntly negated Roosevelt’s wish to have a unified meeting of the democratic nations – a serious mistake at that juncture in time in early 1938. His hubris and single-mindedness brought about Munich.
One also gets the impression throughout of a nation over-burdened – with problems of the depression of the 1930’s, of coping with their vast empire overseas and at times hardly aware of the volatile European situation across the English Channel. We see an insular empire collapsing beneath the weight of overwrought responsibilities.
The author is clear and correct that appeasement is what Neville Chamberlain desired and believed would establish European peace.
Keith Feiling cites numerous letters that the Munich debacle bought precious time for England; this is dubious reasoning at best. Better is the comment from Masaryk - “If you have sacrificed my nation to preserve the peace of the world, I will be the first to applaud you. But if not, gentlemen, God help your souls.”
One must give credit to Neville Chamberlain in that he finally saw through his errors or methodology and did not flinch from declaring war on Germany after the Polish invasion.
The first half of the book I found tedious with passages of Neville Chamberlain’s early career. I also found the writing style somewhat awkward.
The latter half – with his role in national government, is far more interesting. Aside from short descriptions of his married life and children - there is little on Neville Chamberlain’s personal life. The author does an efficient job in detailing events as they were perceived during that era – and not writing a retrospective analysis.
January 27, 2020
Chamberlain, more than most historical figures, has been reduced in legacy to one word: appeasement. The man behind the Munich Accord and seeker of peace and accommodation with Hitler, Mussolini and, generally, the forces of far-right fascism in Central Europe, Chamberlain very much appears as a man ill suited for his times, a 19th Century statesmen horrified by war, convinced of diplomacy, and wholly unprepared for the fanaticism of the Third Reich.
Feiling's book, if dated and stodgy in its prose, relays the long personal and political profile of Neville Chamberlain, from his days growing up in Birmingham to the young man's searing experience in the Bahamas attempting to wrest profit from the unforgiving soil and climate. Indeed, the Bahamas episode becomes a keystone for Neville's career, a fitting story for a man that worked so hard, and possessed much courage, but was pitted against forces he did not understand, nor had the temperament to defeat.
Following the First World War, Chamberlain assumes increasing responsibilities in the Conservative governments of the '20s and '30s, particularly as Minister of Health. Chamberlain shines in the role of muted statesmen, seeking reform and internal improvements amidst economic unease.
At last, though, Chamberlain assumes the mantle of leadership, at perhaps the most inopportune time for him to do so. His premiership becomes consumed with foreign affairs as he is forced to turn his attention towards Nazi Germany's schemes for Austria, Czechoslovakia and Eastern Europe. Repeatedly, Chamberlain (and Feiling) proclaim that the ultimate aim of the policy of Munich was a waiting period for Britain to rearm, rather than a Westphalian-like peace to be enjoyed for generations.
Alas, the history does not vindicate Chamberlain quite so much. While in retrospect the Nazis' blitzkrieg is viewed as an unstoppable force akin to a natural disaster, Hitler's army was quite unprepared for the early military operations in Austria and the Sudetenland. Moreover, Chamberlain fails to see how giving in to Hitler's demands, legitimizing him on the world stage, only increases the Fuhrer's stature, and dampens the reputation of the liberal democracies of Western Europe.
Chamberlain, though, deserves more attention than a one-word lament. Feiling may not have accomplished a vindication, but he does a fair job at putting the reader into the context of the Munich Accord, demonstrating its contemporary soundness as policy. Chamberlain is no hero, but neither is he the bumbling fool or naive villain of the war that came to engulf Europe.
Feiling's book, if dated and stodgy in its prose, relays the long personal and political profile of Neville Chamberlain, from his days growing up in Birmingham to the young man's searing experience in the Bahamas attempting to wrest profit from the unforgiving soil and climate. Indeed, the Bahamas episode becomes a keystone for Neville's career, a fitting story for a man that worked so hard, and possessed much courage, but was pitted against forces he did not understand, nor had the temperament to defeat.
Following the First World War, Chamberlain assumes increasing responsibilities in the Conservative governments of the '20s and '30s, particularly as Minister of Health. Chamberlain shines in the role of muted statesmen, seeking reform and internal improvements amidst economic unease.
At last, though, Chamberlain assumes the mantle of leadership, at perhaps the most inopportune time for him to do so. His premiership becomes consumed with foreign affairs as he is forced to turn his attention towards Nazi Germany's schemes for Austria, Czechoslovakia and Eastern Europe. Repeatedly, Chamberlain (and Feiling) proclaim that the ultimate aim of the policy of Munich was a waiting period for Britain to rearm, rather than a Westphalian-like peace to be enjoyed for generations.
Alas, the history does not vindicate Chamberlain quite so much. While in retrospect the Nazis' blitzkrieg is viewed as an unstoppable force akin to a natural disaster, Hitler's army was quite unprepared for the early military operations in Austria and the Sudetenland. Moreover, Chamberlain fails to see how giving in to Hitler's demands, legitimizing him on the world stage, only increases the Fuhrer's stature, and dampens the reputation of the liberal democracies of Western Europe.
Chamberlain, though, deserves more attention than a one-word lament. Feiling may not have accomplished a vindication, but he does a fair job at putting the reader into the context of the Munich Accord, demonstrating its contemporary soundness as policy. Chamberlain is no hero, but neither is he the bumbling fool or naive villain of the war that came to engulf Europe.
September 8, 2026
A comprehensive biography of Chamberlain, enriched by excerpts from his diaries and his correspondence. Written just a few years after his death in 1940 it covers his role in Birmingham politics and on to his election as an MP after the ago of 50 and his rise within government.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews