King George made a statement to his people: “After the Prime Minister`s great efforts for the cause of peace, I fervently hope that a new era of friendship and prosperity among the peoples of the world will rise.” [136] When King Duff met Cooper, who resigned as First Lord of the Admiralty because of the Munich Accords, he told Cooper that he respected people who had the courage to have their beliefs but could not agree with him. [136] He wrote to his mother, Queen Mary, that “the Prime Minister was delighted with the results of his mission, as we all were.” [137] The Dowager Queen responded to her son angrily at those who spoke out against the prime minister: “He brought peace home, why can`t they be grateful?” [136] Most newspapers supported Chamberlain uncritically, and he received thousands of gifts, from a cash dinner service to several of his branded umbrellas. [138] The agreement was generally welcomed. French Prime Minister Daladier did not believe, as one scholar put it, that a European war was justified “to keep three million Germans under Czech sovereignty.” But the same argument applies to Alsace-Lorraine – unlike the alliance between France and Czechoslovakia against German aggression. Gallup polls in Britain, France and the United States showed that the majority of people supported the deal. Czechoslovak President Beneš was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1939. [52] Czechoslovakia was informed by Britain and the France that it could either defend itself against Nazi Germany or submit to the prescribed annexations. The Czechoslovak government, recognizing the desperation of the struggle against the Nazis alone, reluctantly capitulated (September 30) and agreed to abide by the agreement. The colony gave Germany the Sudetenland from October 10 and de facto control of the rest of Czechoslovakia, as long as Hitler promised not to go any further. On September 30, after a break, Chamberlain went to Hitler`s house and asked him to sign a peace treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany.

After Hitler`s interpreter translated it for him, he happily accepted. Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons said: “We owe a sincere debt of gratitude to all those responsible for the outcome and greatly appreciate the efforts of President Roosevelt and Signor Mussolini to organize the Munich Conference of Powers, during which a common desire for peace was demonstrated.” [55] At a rally in Marseille in October 1938, Daladier announced a new policy: I chose my path: the France forward! (“I have chosen my path; forward with France! »). He said his government`s domestic and foreign policy should be based on “determination.” [27] In practice, this meant the end of the Popular Front government`s social reforms to increase French productivity, notably by ending the 40-hour week. [27] In a series of legislative decrees published on 1. In November 1938, the 40-hour week was promulgated by Finance Minister Paul Reynaud and bypassed the National Assembly, and taxes were considerably increased; Social spending was cut, defense spending was increased, union power was cut, and (most controversially) Saturday was again declared a working day. [27] In a Radio Broadcast of November 12, 1938, Reynaud declared, “We are approaching an abyss blindfolded.” He also argued that while his reforms may cause pain, they are absolutely necessary. [28] As part of efforts to put the French economy on a war footing, Reynaud increased the military budget from 29 billion francs to 93 billion francs. [29] In response, the French Communist Party called for a general strike to protest against decrees that ended almost all reforms of the Popular Front. [27] Chamberlain resigned on August 28.

He succeeded Stanley Baldwin as premier in 1937. His tenure as prime minister was dominated by the issue of policy toward an increasingly aggressive Germany, and his actions in Munich were widespread among the British at the time. In response to Hitler`s continued aggression, Chamberlain promised Britain to defend Poland`s independence if attacked, an alliance that brought his country to war after the German invasion of Poland. The failure of Allied forces to prevent the German invasion of Norway prompted the House of Commons to hold the historic debate on Norway in May 1940. Chamberlain`s war was heavily criticized by members of all parties, and in a vote of confidence the majority of his government was drastically reduced. Recognizing that a national government supported by all major parties was essential, Chamberlain resigned as premier because the Labour and Liberal Parties would not serve under his leadership. Although he still led the Conservative Party, he was replaced as prime minister by his colleague Winston Churchill. Until his ill health forced him to resign on 22 September 1940, Chamberlain was an important member of the War Cabinet as Lord President of the Council and led the government in Churchill`s absence. Chamberlain died of cancer on November 9, 1940, at the age of 71, six months after leaving the office of premier. The adoption of the “Thirty Years Rule” in 1967 made many Chamberlain government documents available over the next three years and helped explain why Chamberlain acted the way he did. [235] The resulting works greatly fueled the revisionist school, although they also contained books that strongly criticized Chamberlain, such as Keith Middlemas` 1972 Diplomacy of Illusion (which portrayed Chamberlain as an experienced politician with strategic blindness when it came to Germany). Oxford historian R.

A.C. . .