Chamberlain

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__Arthur Neville Chamberlain

1869 - 1940__

Arthur Neville Chamberlain was the Conservative prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940 when WW2 broke out. He was forced to resign 10th May 1940 when Germany invaded the Netherlands, France and Belgium. He was succeeded as prime minister by Winston Churchill and became an important member of Churchill's war cabinet before he became ill. He died of cancer in 1940 only six months after he had been Prime Minister.

Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1937. In 1938 he met with leaders from Germany, Italy and France to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia's "Sudetenland" (part of Czechoslovakia where German people lived). In the agreement this land was forcibly handed over to Germany.

On the 30th of September 1938 Chamberlain came to England with a piece of paper signed by Hitler, saying that Germany never wanted to go to war with England again. He became famous for his "peace in our time"speech to crowds that gathered at Heston airport in London when he returned.

Although Hitler signed this paper but he did not keep his promise and on the 1st of September 1939 Germany invaded Poland and on the 3rd of September 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany.


 * __Neville Chamberlain__**

This is Neville Chamberlain's speech:

"I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we hear from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.  You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different that I could have done and that would have been more successful.  Up to the very last it would have been quite possible to have arranged a peaceful and honourable settlement between Germany and Poland, but Hitler would not have it. He had evidently made up his mind to attack Poland, whatever happened, and although he now says he put forward reasonable proposals which were rejected by the Poles, that is not a true statement. The proposals were never shown to the Poles, nor to us, and though they were announced in a German broadcast on Thursday night, Hitler did not wait to hear comments on them but ordered his troops to cross the Polish frontier the next morning. His action shows convincingly that there is no chance of expecting that this man will ever give up his practice of using force to gain his will. He can only be stopped by force. We and France are today, in fulfillment of our obligations, going to the aid of Poland, who is so bravely resisting this wicked and unprovoked attack upon her people. We have a clear conscience - we have done all that any country could do to establish peace. The situation in which no word given by Germany's ruler could be trusted, and no people or country could feel itself safe, has become intolerable. And now that we have resolved to finish it I know that you will play your part with calmness and courage. At such a moment as this the assurances of support which we have received from the empire are a source of profound encouragement to us. When I have finished speaking, certain detailed announcements will be made on behalf of the government. Give these your closest attention. The government have made plans under which it will be possible to carry on work of the nation in the days of stress and strain that may be ahead... Now may God bless you all. May He defend the right. For it is evil things that we shall be fighting against - brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution - and against them I am certain that right will prevail."

=  = = __Arthur Neville Chamberlain.__ = Arthur Neville Chamberlain was the prime minister of great Britain when the world war two broke out.He reported from 10 Downing street "Everyone, stand calm and brave, I want you all to do your part. I don't think there is anything better I could of done to prevent this war from coming. As Hitler is going to attack the Poles I declare war on Germany!"

No one felt safe as Hitler would not stop. Chamberlain wanted and asked for peace between Britain and Germany but Hitler disagreed and attacked the Poles.