15 Interesting Facts About Neville Chamberlain

15 Interesting Facts About Neville Chamberlain

A leader is someone who is expected to make decisions that will either have a positive or negative effect on either a business, home or government. Everyone wants to be a leader but no one is ever truly ready for the heavy responsibility that comes with it. Neville Chamberlain was a famous British leader who bore the responsibility of leadership as Prime Minister from 1937-1940.

His solution to dealing with Germany at the time was to appease them giving them what they wanted while trying to stop them from starting a world war(which we know didn’t work). Chamberlain was a diplomatic man who underestimated Hitler and though he had good intentions, in the end, his approach was criticised and unsuccessful. Apart from his shortcomings, he was a staunch supporter of progressive social and domestic policies in Britain and worked hard despite setbacks and betrayals. 

Here are 15 interesting facts about Neville Chamberlain

1. Politics wasn’t his first love

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

Chamberlain’s family had political ties which is why it was interesting that he didn’t have much interest in academics or politics. He was a student at Rugby School and then Mason College which is currently known as the University of Birmingham. Chamberlain’s dad was determined to ensure that his son would end up being a noble man which led him to send Chamberlain to the Bahamas to start and manage a sisal plantation where he lost £50,000. 

2. His wife encouraged him to join local politics

Chamberlain was love-struck when he met Anne Cole in 1910, the 40-year-old unexpectedly fell in love with her and the following year they got married. Anne believed that Neville was fit for politics and just like any good wife she managed to get him to join local politics. The paid shared many similar political viewpoints and especially regarding housing, Anne continued to support her husband and his ambitions throughout his life.

Neville got started in Birmingham politics by running for a neighbourhood council seat, as he was favourable to many he later won the position of Lord Mayor of Birmingham. He ran for Birmingham Ladywood in 1919 as the Unionist candidate, and he won with about 70% of the vote.

3. He didn’t want to work under David Lloyd George

Harris & Ewing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Chamberlain was appointed Director of National Service by the then Prime Minister David Lloyd George. As the Director he managed recruitment and ensured that companies had an adequate workforce during the war, however, less than a year later, Chamberlain claimed that the Prime Minister offered him little to no support which led him to resign. 

Chamberlain was given a job in the Ministry of Health in 1920 but he turned it down because he refused to work for Lloyd George. Neville was advised to take the position for fear that he wouldn’t get another position for the remainder of Lloyd George’s premiership. Lucky enough for him, Lloyd George resigned in 1922 after the collapse of the Conservative-Unionist coalition. Chamberlain took advantage of this and served as Minister of Health and briefly as Chancellor of the Exchequer before the Conservatives were defeated by Ramsey McDonald’s Labour in 1923.

4. Chamberlain began to rise after the 1924 elections

In 1924, Chamberlain was reappointed as minister of health, and he served in that position for five years, passing 21 significant pieces of legislation. He was named Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1931, which was no easy task given the size of Britain’s war debt.

During his time he had key accomplishments such as the adoption of “Imperial Preference” import taxes, increases in social spending, and a controversial reduction in the defence budget that was eventually reversed beginning in 1935 as the threat posed by Hitler’s Germany became more widely recognised. Many historians and politicians later criticised Chamberlain for disarming in the first place, but overall, many see his legacy as the Chancellor who was diplomatic and worked to improve the living conditions and some agree that he could not have foreseen the crises that would follow. 

5. He believed that domestic reform would define his term as prime minister

When Stanley Baldwin resigned as prime minister; he suggested to the new king that Chamberlain be appointed as the new Prime Minister. As a Prime Minister Chamberlain was dedicated to improving work conditions, he worked on Factories Act, which Chamberlain passed in 1937, and the Holiday With Pay Act, Coal Act and Housing Act. Better living and working conditions were made available to a lot of people as a result, along with more social security being offered. Internal policy and social reforms were shelved after the war’s 1939 outbreak. 

6. European politics was out of his control

European politics at the time was very heated, for starters, Spain was embroiled in a terrible civil war by 1937, which didn’t make the already tense political climate in Europe any better. Countries had to pick sides and Germany had broken the Treaty of Versailles by rearming under Adolf Hitler, instead of taking a stand against Germany, Chamberlain tried to make amends with Hitler. 

Italy was quite famous at the time, especially after the invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, Chamberlain tried to strengthen his relationship with Italy thinking that their alliance would work against Germany. Ultimately, all Chamberlain wanted was to keep Britain out of another expensive and destructive war because he know how violent it could get after experiencing WWI. His fear of WWII led to him creating an appeasement policy across Europe. 

7. Though Chamberlain had good intentions people didn’t think he had good discernment

Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1972-001-03 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

Some leaders knew and had accepted that Adolf Hilter was not exactly the man you could negotiate with, but Chamberlain thought that he could appease him. In an attempt to make Hitler happy, Chamberlain visited Hitler in 1938 at his retreat in Berchtesgaden, close to Munich. The two had a chat for 3 hours and Hitler expressed his interest in the annexation of the Sudetenland, Chamberlain was mistaken when he thought that that was all Hitler wanted.

Chamberlain listened to Hitler and was even convinced by Hitler that after a referendum was held and the populace agreed to his annexation, he would take Sudetenland.  We could easily describe Chamberlain as a patient man because his visits continued thereafter. As a result of the visits, there was a summit held with representatives from Italy, France, Germany and Britain which was arranged to resolve the Sudetendland issue. 

At the time, some people argued that Chamberlain should get the Nobel Peace Prize, while others praised his abilities as a statesman and his propensity for preventing war. It didn’t take long for Chamberlain’s reputation to be destroyed because war would soon break out. Many people now view his concessions to Hitler in 1938 as unwise because they gave Germany time to build up her military.

8. In 1939 Chamberlain declared Britain was at war with Germany 

Following a horrific pogrom against Germany’s Jewish population, Kristallnacht, which occurred in November 1938, permanently changed public opinion against Germany. Any discussion or goodwill with Germany would have been viewed as undesirable by the public. Early in 1939, as Germany rearmed and grew, it invaded Bohemia and Moravia.

To appease the British and threaten Germany, Chamberlain focused more and more on rearmament in Britain. He expanded the Territorial Army, instituted peacetime taxation, and established the Ministry of Supplies. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and Britain gave them two options: leave peacefully or risk war. They declined. To hasten the defeat of Germany, Chamberlain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, convened Parliament on a Sunday, and established a War Cabinet.

9. Chamberlain was forced to resign

Chamberlain’s administration experienced a crisis because of the discussions around Norway. Germany’s army was way stronger and bigger than the Allied forces who were forced to withdraw after they realized that they were no match for Germany. The Norway Debate received a lot of criticism as the situation intensified especially from the parliament members because many people believed that Chamberlain was pushing for party political vote lines rather than uniting the country during a time of national disaster.

It became evident that Labour would not serve under Chamberlain but rather saw Winston Churchill as a credible option after conversations with Attlee’s Labour Party about joining Chamberlain’s cabinet to build a functional, unified government. Chamberlain formally announced his resignation on May 10, 1940, and requested that Churchill be sent in to take his place. Churchill and Baldwin both wrote to Chamberlain to thank him for his choice.

10. Chamberlain took some measures to prepare Britain for the war 

Although Chamberlain’s choices have mostly received harsh criticism it would be unfair to ignore the steps he took to prepare Britain for the war. While he believed in appeasement and diplomacy he also oversaw a considerable increase in the size of the British military and ensured that they had powerful air defence systems. Even though the steps he took did not help stop Britain’s failures they were extremely important in strengthening their self-defence and finally winning the war. 

11. Chamberlain’s diplomatic strategy was harshly criticized 

Although Chamberlain tried to avoid war through diplomacy he was still criticised for failing to create a more effective diplomatic strategy towards Nazi Germany. His appeasement strategy in particular was a terrible failure because he fed Hitler’s growing appetite by satisfying his territorial demands through negotiation and compromise. Many Historians have suggested that Chamberlain should have followed a strict diplomatic approach and would have easily created a hardline boundary to stop the war.

12. Neville Chamberlain’s famous “Peace for our time” speech has become a symbol of his failure

Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H12477 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

Chamberlain was confident in his way of handling Hitler which is why on September 30th, 1938 he gave his well-known “Peace for our time” speech after the Munich Agreement. Chamberlain stated that despite the deal allowing Germany to absorb the Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia, “peace in our time” had been maintained.

Many people were excited about his speech but it had unfortunately also been a reflection of the failure of Chamberlain’s appeasement policy towards Nazi Germany. Several historians have agreed that the Munich Agreement only served to strengthen Hitler and facilitate the start of WWII.

13. Chamberlain was the first British prime minister to fly while in office

Neville Chamberlain was a pioneer in many areas while in office, however, one of the most exciting was the fact that he chose to travel by air on official business which is something no other prime minister had done. In 1938 when he went to see Hilter, he flew from London to Berlin. This was exciting for the aviation industry and was seen as a crucial turning point in this field. He may have had many weaknesses but he is still seen as a progressive leader from his time.

14. He was passionate about gardening

Some leaders like running, and some like to have a glass of whiskey on the rocks but Chamberlain said that he found peace in gardening. Neville stated that gardening helped him calm his nerves especially while he dealt with the harsh demands of his political life. He loved gardening so much that he wrote a book titled “The Search for Peace” where he described his gardening experiences. Even though he had a hectic schedule he would always find time to maintain his garden which was a good way of managing his stress.

15. Chamberlain died from cancer

At 71 years old, Neville Chamberlain passed away from cancer. He battled bowel cancer which unfortunately spread to his liver and stomach even though he had been receiving medical care. At the time, he was living in his Birmingham home where he passed on. 

Even though he had many people who didn’t agree with his strategies, he equally had many people in the public who liked him and who were broken by his death. His reputation continues to be a point of controversy among historians with some arguing that he was a well-intentioned politician whose plan just happened to fail.