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    Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II
    Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II
    Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II
    Audiobook19 hours

    Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II

    Written by David Faber

    Narrated by Arthur Morey

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    On September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain flew back to London from his meeting at Munich with the German chancellor Adolf Hitler and was greeted with a hero's welcome. As he paused on the aircraft steps, he held aloft the piece of paper, bearing both his and the Fuhrer's signatures, that contained the promise that Britain and Germany would never go to war with each other again. Later that evening, from his upstairs window at 10 Downing Street, he told the ecstatic and thankful crowd that he had returned bringing "Peace with honor-Peace for our time."

    In this important reappraisal of the extraordinary events of seventy years ago, acclaimed historian David Faber traces the key incidents leading up to the meeting at Munich and its immediate aftermath. He describes Lord Halifax's ill-fated visit to Hitler; Chamberlain's secret negotiations with Mussolini, followed by the resignation of Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden; and the Berlin scandal that rocked Hitler's regime. Faber takes us to Vienna for the Nazi Anschluss; to the Sudentenland, the mountainous border region of Czechoslovakia, where Hitler's puppets attempted to provide him with a pretext for war by inciting the minority German population to rebellion; and to Prague, where the Czechoslovak government desperately tried to head off the Fuhrer's warlike intentions. In Berlin, we witness Hitler inexorably preparing for war, even in the face of opposition from his own generals; and in London, we watch helplessly as Chamberlain seizes executive control from his own cabinet and makes one supreme effort after another to appease Hitler, culminating in his three remarkable flights to Germany.

    Drawing on a wealth of original archival material, including diaries and notes taken by Hitler and Chamberlain's translator, Faber's sweeping reassessment of the events of 1938 resonates with an insider's feel for the political infighting he uncovers. Packed with narrative punch and vivid characters, Munich, 1938 transports us to the war rooms and bunkers, revealing the secret negotiations and scandals upon which the world's fate would rest. It is modern history writing at its best.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 30, 2009
    ISBN9781400184170

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    Reviews for Munich, 1938

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      The events and players are brought back to life. I appreciated the clear chronology of the events. The narration was fabulous! I hope Faber writes more nonfiction histories-especially WWll.
    • 4/5
      This was a very helpful book to get clear in my mind what the British government believed in 1938 when they made so many concessions to Hitler. It also, but not in any depth, discusses France's fragile government situation in 1938. I've been reading many popular books of history on WWII this year, and this book helped by taking me into the step-by-step development of events in Germany, Britain and, to a lesser degree, Czechoslovakia. I actually listened to this book on "Books on CD" and often played it in the car or while I was cleaning my house. It was a good way to distract myself from bad traffic or the drudgery of cleaning. :) I recommend this book if you ask yourself "How could Chamberlain have been such a fool?" After reading this book, you probably will still feel that Chamberlain was blindly and stubbornly sticking to an appeasement policy, but at least you will be fully informed about all the intrigues raging around Europe in 1938.
    • 4/5
      Of course, we have all heard of Nevil Chamberlain and his piece of paper granting 'Peace in our time' but about the background leading up to that, the personalities involved and the issues? Well researched and detailed, this book takes you back to that time, giving you a feel for the hopes and fears of those involved. Fascinating hearing contemporary accounts of Munich, in hindsight of what was to happen.
    • 4/5
      This is a well detailed thorough narrative history of the period between Anschluss, the German takeover of Austria, and German takeover of Czechoslovokia. The primary focus is on the Munich Conference which was the first partition of Czechoslovokia. The Munich conference was where Britain, France, Italy and Germany got together and agreed on new borders for Czechoslovokia. The next morning Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler and got him to sign a piece of paper that said England and Germany were going to be friends. Chamberlain then flies home to England.There is a mob scene at the airport and this is where Neville, Old Boy! utters those famous words"There will be peace in our time" I looked up Chamberlain in the Wiki and he remained the Prime Minister after WWII started and died nine months later, still the P.M.Meanwhile the Nazis are the people you love to hate, especially Hitler. The nationwide riot against the Jews in Germany, known as Kristallnacht because of all the broken glass, occurs during this time.The takeover of Austria was nostalgic. Hitler got to visit his parent's graves. He was Austrian, not German. He went back to Vienna where he had lived as a bum before WWI.Whenever the Germans had a state dinner or luncheon they would have waiters in uniforms and the plates had Hitler's crest on them. Very programmed and severe.One last tidbit. At Berchtesgaden (write that without looking it up) Hitler had one large room that looked out over the mountain scenery. It had a large picture window with a device that allowed the window to be lowered into the floor. When the window was lowered the room was like a covered porch.You really have to hate all of those people for what they did to Czechoslovokia. Hitler got them all scared about going to war. Hitler's generals were scared about going to war too, they thought they would lose. So the English and the French tell the Czechs that it's time to take one for the world. And no you don't get to come to the conference where we decide your fate. An extreme example of cowardice, corruption and hypocrisy which is seen again and again throughout history with variations.