Before the Munich debacle, “appeasement” was accepted as an honourable policy in international politics — pursuing peace through the achievement of reasonable compromises. But after the Munich deal with Hitler failed and the Second World War erupted, appeasement became synonymous with craven behaviour and political capitulation to amoral dictators. Chamberlain’s disastrous engagement with Hitler spawned what became known as the Munich analogy — the idea that appeasement of dictators must always be wrong. When the British, French, and Israelis occupied the Suez Canal in 1956, they claimed Egyptian leader Colonel Nasser was a new Hitler. Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler at Munich was hugely popular at the time, though mostly because of relief that war had been averted.

Source: Irish Examiner October 02, 2018 22:52 UTC