History

In this close examination of British parliamentary politics of the 1930s, Stewart strives for balance and understanding in this interpretation of those times, which is significant in that the most prominent leaders, among them Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain, have too easily been measured against the policy of appeasing Hitler. Although appeasement ultimately became the decisive issue in the political fates of the two men, their fortunes in the 1930s were buffeted by political matters that intertwined with general elections, by-elections, Cabinet reshuffles, debates, and backroom maneuvering to succeed an amiable but soporific prime minister, Stanley Baldwin. Throughout, Stewart underscores Chamberlain's political and administrative strengths as the reasons behind his grip on power even after the war crisis in September 1938 and despite Churchill's discordant condemnation of the sellout of Czechoslovakia as ". . . only the beginning of the reckoning." Stewart's history, climaxing with Chamberlain's fall, illustrates the intricate interplay of political detail with large events. Perhaps not the casual reader's cup of tea, but it's certainly an important contribution to its subject. Gilbert Taylor

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