The famous Chamberlain speech - Info sheet

The renowned speech by Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister at the time, echoed with the hopeful phrase "Peace for our time," a statement that resonated deeply with the British public in the wake of the Munich Agreement and the Anglo-German Declaration. Upon his return from the Munich conference with Adolf Hitler, Chamberlain genuinely believed that he had averted war and was quite satisfied with the outcome. His speech was an attempt to reassure the British people that the threat of conflict had been successfully mitigated through diplomatic efforts.

In his address, Chamberlain highlighted the significance of Anglo-German relations, not only for the United Kingdom and Germany but for the stability of Europe as a whole. He emphasised the mutual agreement between himself and the German Führer and Chancellor that their nations would never again engage in war with each other. The two leaders expressed a firm commitment to resolving any future disputes through consultation. The Munich Agreement and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement were seen as symbols of this new era of peaceful intent. However, the effectiveness of this approach, known as appeasement, and its impact during the subsequent events of World War II would later become subjects of intense debate and historical analysis.