- A new history of the British appeasement of the Third Reich on the eve of World War II"-- Provided by publisher."A gripping new history of the British appeasement of Hitler on the eve of World War II. On a wet afternoon in September 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stepped off an airplane and announced that his visit to Hitler had averted the greatest crisis in recent memory. It was, he later assured the crowd in Downing Street, "peace for our time." Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War began. [This book] is a groundbreaking history of the disastrous years of indecision, failed diplomacy and parliamentary infighting that enabled Hitler's domination of Europe. Drawing on deep archival research, including sources not previously seen by historians, Tim Bouverie has created an unforgettable portrait of the ministers, aristocrats, and amateur diplomats who, through their actions, and inaction, shaped their country's policy and determined the fate of Europe. Beginning with the advent of Hitler in 1933, this captivating narrative traces the path from the early days of the Third Reich to the beaches of Dunkirk. Bouverie takes us not only into the backrooms of Parliament and 10 Downing Street but also into the drawing rooms and dining clubs of fading imperial Britain, where Hitler enjoyed surprising support among the ruling class and even some members of the royal family. Both sweeping and intimate, Appeasement is not only an eye-opening new history but a timeless lesson on the challenges of standing up to aggression and authoritarianism--and the calamity that results from failing to do so."--Jacket.September 1938. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stepped off an airplane and announced that his visit to Hitler had averted the greatest crisis in recent memory. It was, he later assured the crowd in Downing Street, "peace for our time." Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War began. Bouverie examines this disastrous years of indecision, failed diplomacy and parliamentary infighting that enabled Hitler's domination of Europe. Beginning with the advent of Hitler in 1933, he traces the path from the early days of the Third Reich to the beaches of Dunkirk.