Neville Chamberlain and the Art of Appeasement

The Twenty-Ninth of September 1938 was a defining moment in world history. On that day, the leaders of Europe s two leading democracies, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier, met with western Europe s two dictators, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The Munich Conference was Chamberlain s third visit in a fortnight to Germany. The dramatic culmination of his policy of Appeasement seemed to promise Peace in Our Time. Less than a year later, however, the world was at war again for the second time in the 20th century. Max Everest-Phillips examines the power of art and the art of power, and shows how Chamberlain the Peacemaker inspired artists across Europe. Their enthusiastic efforts, including producing commemorative medals, challenge the negative image of Chamberlain popularised by his successor, Winston Churchill, and offer invaluable insight on the popular response to the Nazi threat. Launched on the 75th anniversary of the Munich Conference, this book provides a collector s guide to the Meissen piece Hitler commissioned as a present for Chamberlain and the other mementos of the most debated lost cause in British history. The book will appeal to anyone interested in commemorative medals, art, politics and the history of World War II.