Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II

On September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain flew back to London from his meeting in Munich with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. As he disembarked from the aircraft, he held aloft a piece of paper, which contained the promise that Britain and Germany would never go to war with one another again. He had returned bringing "Peace with honour--Peace for our time." Drawing on a wealth of archival material, acclaimed historian David Faber delivers a sweeping reassessment of the extraordinary events of 1938, tracing the key incidents leading up to the Munich Conference and its immediate aftermath: Lord Halifax's ill-fated meeting with Hitler; Chamberlain's secret discussions with Mussolini; and the Berlin scandal that rocked Hitler's regime. He takes us to Vienna, to the Sudentenland, and to Prague. In Berlin, we witness Hitler inexorably preparing for war, even in the face of opposition from his own generals; in London, we watch as Chamberlain makes one supreme effort after another to appease Hitler. Resonating with an insider's feel for the political infighting Faber uncovers, Munich, 1938 transports us to the war rooms and bunkers, revealing the covert negotiations and scandals upon which the world's fate would rest. It is modern history writing at its best.

About the Author :
David Faber was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford University, where he read modern languages. The grandson of former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, Faber served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1992 until 2001, and now is a historian and writer. He is author of Speaking for England and lives in London with his wife and their three children.

Review :
"David Faber offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how Hitler outwitted the smug and curiously naive Chamberlain to win control of much of Czechoslovakia and start down the road to war. Dramatic, exciting, and at times almost unbearably poignant, "Munich, 1938 "puts a human face to a key turning point in history and makes it come alive." -- Lynne Olson, author of "Troublesome Young Men" "Using archives, diaries and memoirs, David Faber has meticulously reconstructed one of the momentous events of the twentieth century. Moreover, he manages to tell the story of the Munich conference in a manner that grips the reader even though the outcome is a well-known tragedy." -- Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University, and author of "The Powers to Lead" "With an encyclopedic grasp of the diplomatic issues at hand, David Faber has written the most thoughtful and well-researched study of the Munich Conference ever written. All the key historical players are brought to life: Hitler, Chamberlain, Lord Halifax, and Mussolini, in particular. Faber's analysis of appeasement is nothing short of brilliant." -- Douglas Brinkley, author of "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America"