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9 - Deterrence by Guarantee

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2022

G. C. Peden
Affiliation:
University of Stirling
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Summary

Historians have given widely different interpretations of Chamberlain’s offer of a guarantee to Poland and of its significance. The evidence for Chamberlain believing it was no longer possible to deal with Hitler on the same basis as at Munich is examined, as is the evidence that the prime minister was increasingly constrained in foreign policy by public opinion, which had come round to Churchill’s position on appeasement. Churchill urged a reluctant Chamberlain to back the guarantee with an Anglo-Franco-Soviet Alliance, and the prime minister has been much criticised for failing to do so. The failure is explained with reference to intelligence assessments of Soviet capability and reliability and also to Soviet demands in the negotiations and to Stalin’s decision to opt for a pact with Hitler. The significance of Chamberlain’s secret contacts with Germans and Swedes in the summer of 1939 is explored. Chamberlain’s conduct in the final crisis in August and September is considered in the light of claims made then and also by some historians that he was forced by the House of Commons into declaring war.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Deterrence by Guarantee
  • G. C. Peden, University of Stirling
  • Book: Churchill, Chamberlain and Appeasement
  • Online publication: 11 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009201995.010
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  • Deterrence by Guarantee
  • G. C. Peden, University of Stirling
  • Book: Churchill, Chamberlain and Appeasement
  • Online publication: 11 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009201995.010
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Deterrence by Guarantee
  • G. C. Peden, University of Stirling
  • Book: Churchill, Chamberlain and Appeasement
  • Online publication: 11 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009201995.010
Available formats
×