by John Zienkosky

Created on: April 12, 2009   Last Updated: April 13, 2009

In the novel "The Last Lion-Alone 1932-1940", book two of William Manchester's biography of Sir Winston Churchill, Manchester paints a vivid and frustrating picture of the British Government during the titled years. Neville Chamberlain's government doggedly pursued a policy of appeasement to its last breath. During those years, Churchill was a "Backbencher" in Parliament, a member who represents a district or territory but is usually relegated to carrying out adjunct duties. After a very weak MP (Member of Parliament) revolt against current government policy failed, Aneurin Bevan found Winston in the smoking room and asked, "What have you been up to? We haven't seen much of you in the fight lately?" Winston looked around the room with a challenging glance and growled, " Fight? I can't see any fight. All I can see in this Parliament is a lot of people leaning against each other."

This assessment was probably true of the governments of the world at this time as well; all those not connected with the Axis powers or those who did not have a stake in the events of Central Europe were leaning on each other. After a gruesome and difficult World War, the nations were weary and peace was the movement of the day. This, combined with economic and governmental collapse in Germany as well as the particularly onerous and impossible demands of the Treaty of Versailles, allowed Hitler to springboard to power and implement a nationalistic plan that eventually involved the entire planet. The United State's late entry into World War Two was directly attributable to the peace movement that was so powerful in the States. This fostered an attitude of "What is happening over there is not our problem."

During the time period of Hitler's rise to power and re-armament, the governments of France, Great Britain, and to some extent Spain, played a dangerous and confusing diplomatic game designed to allow their government to come out on top of the heap with Germany. This is another aspect of appeasement: give the bully what he wants and jockey for position to curry favor. Hitler saw this with unspeakable clarity, as was clear from his ever increasingly outrageous demands from the Allies prior to the outbreak of war. Hitler badgered and disrespected diplomats of the Allied nations received whatever he asked for at the diplomatic table. A reading of these sessions is astounding. The manipulation by Hitler is textbook as he badgers and bullies the Diplomats into submission and then turns on

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