Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A British statesman and Prime Minister: Neville Chamberlain was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940. He is most historically associated with the foreign policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany prior to the Second World War.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Neville Chamberlain is often cited in discussions about the failures of appeasement.
  • The Munich Agreement, signed by Neville Chamberlain, allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland.
  • Historians continue to debate the legacy of Neville Chamberlain's premiership.

Advanced Usage

• "Chamberlain's policy": refers specifically to the policy of appeasement he pursued.

  • The term "Chamberlain's policy" is now synonymous with failed diplomatic concessions to an aggressor.

• "In the style of Chamberlain": acting with a policy of conciliation or appeasement, often critically.

  • The diplomat was accused of negotiating in the style of Chamberlain, offering too much for too little.

Variants and Related Words

• Appeasement (n): the policy of making political or material concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict, central to Chamberlain's historical reputation.

  • The lesson of Munich is that appeasement can embolden dictators.

• Munich Agreement (proper noun): the 1938 settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia, negotiated by Chamberlain.

  • The Munich Agreement is a pivotal case study in 20th-century diplomacy.

Synonyms

• Statesman: a skilled, experienced, and respected political leader.
• Prime Minister: the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or state.

Related Phrases

• "Peace for our time": a phrase from a speech Chamberlain gave upon returning from Munich in 1938, symbolizing the ultimately false hope his agreement provided.

  • He declared "peace for our time," but war broke out less than a year later.

• "Paper guarantee": used critically to describe the worthlessness of the assurances Chamberlain received from Hitler.

  • The promise of no further territorial demands proved to be a paper guarantee.

Noun

1. British statesman who as Prime Minister pursued a policy of appeasement toward fascist Germany (1869-1940)