Appeasement, Tim Bouverie
Appeasement, Tim Bouverie
4 Rating(s)
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Appeasement
Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War

Author: Tim Bouverie

Narrator: John Sessions

Unabridged: 22 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/04/2019

Synopsis

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • SUNDAY TIMES (UK) BESTSELLER • A gripping history of the British appeasement of Hitler on the eve of World War II

“An eye-opening narrative that makes for exciting but at times uncomfortable reading as one reflects on possible lessons for the present.”—Antonia Fraser, author of Mary Queen of Scots

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.

Appeasement 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 and 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, we embark on a fascinating journey 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 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Anthony on June 08, 2024

Getting it Wrong. Appeasement was the catastrophic policy of the British government in the lead up to the Second World War. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and foreign secretary Edward Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax along with so many others believed that they could contain Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.......more

Goodreads review by Marks54 on June 12, 2019

Tim Bouverie has written a new history of Appeasement - the particular case of English relations with Germany from Hitler’s rise to power until the outbreak of WW2. When I saw this book, my first reaction was to wonder why a new history was needed. Perhaps because the word in its reference to dealin......more

Goodreads review by Steven on October 05, 2019

In 1961 the controversial British historian, A.J.P. Taylor published THE ORIGINS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR arguing that the war was caused by the appeasement policies pursued by England and France toward Nazi Germany. He further purported that Adolf Hitler was more of a traditional European statesman......more

Goodreads review by Bob on April 13, 2019

A powerful and intriguing book by a new historian, with a new and well-researched look at a dark time in Europe's history. Mostly from the British point of view, it covers not just the infamous September 1938 Munich summit but the period from the accession of Hitler in January 1933 to the fall of Ne......more

Goodreads review by Mircea on September 24, 2021

Chamberlain il considera pe Hitler "pe jumatate nebun".Tot timpul a cautat in cealalta jumatate a lui Hitler ratiunea sau intelegerea. Din pacate pentru Chamberlain (si pentru intreaga lume) cealalta jumatate s-a dovedit la fel de nebuna.......more

Quotes

“It is refreshing that Tim Bouverie, a bright young British historian, should devote his debut book to debunking many of the pro-appeasement myths and reminding us that, in fact, it should be the anti-appeaser Winston Churchill who deserves the laurels. . . . Mr. Bouverie has been diligent in researching the sources and has an eye for the telling anecdote and aperçu. . . . The appeasement story and its lessons are ones for the ages.”—Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal

“Comprehensive and immersive . . . This is well-paced narrative history: intelligent, lucid, riveting—even while possessing the terrible knowledge of what happened next.”—Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"An astonishingly accomplished debut. Bouverie writes with a wonderful clarity and we will no doubt hear a lot more of his voice in the future." —Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad

“The single best account of what actions led the UK to fall into World War II.”—General Jim Mattis

“Appeasement is valuable as an exploration of the often catastrophic consequences of failing to stand up to threats to freedom, whether at home or abroad.”—Lynne Olson, The New York Times Book Review

"Appeasement is the stunning debut of a major new narrative historian. Tim Bouverie makes us look again at the familiar story of the doomed attempt to appease Hitler in the 1930s. A riveting and depressing story which has resonance today as the democracies again face dictatorships."—Margaret MacMillan, author of Paris 1919

“Bouverie provides an exceptionally fine portrait of his main character, Neville Chamberlain. . . . Appeasement is grounded in the political and social history of Great Britain during the period, making use of more than forty collections of personal papers and extensive examination of the press as well as the usual government documents to illustrate a changing spectrum of British attitudes and perceptions.”—Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books

“This is the debut of an unusually talented writer, one of the most promising young historians to enter our field in years.” —Max Hastings, author of Inferno

"Drawing on an impressive and interesting range of sources and characters, Tim Bouverie has written a fascinating and scholarly portrait of a decade when credulity, self-interest, and poor judgement prevailed tragically and inexorably over morality and good sense: this is the reporting of history at its best." —Caroline Moorehead, author of A Train in Winter

"A brilliant and sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian. Tim Bouverie has written an account of the build-up to the Second World War that reads like a thriller. I couldn’t put it down." —Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
 
"Tim Bouverie tells the story of appeasement with skill, verve, and panache, using contemporary accounts to great effect in exploring the mentalities that lay behind the political decisions." —Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler

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