Neville Chamberlain cytaty

Arthur Neville Chamberlain – brytyjski polityk, torysowski premier Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1937–1940. Autor appeasementu – polityki ustępstw prowadzonej przez rząd Wielkiej Brytanii, a później także rząd francuski z premierem Édouardem Daladierem w latach 1937–1939 względem przywódcy Rzeszy Niemieckiej Adolfa Hitlera oraz jego sojusznika, premiera Włoch Benita Mussoliniego.

Pełnił funkcję kanclerza skarbu w latach 1923–1924 i od listopada 1931 do 1937 doprowadził do znacznego ożywienia gospodarczego, wprowadzając politykę niskiego oprocentowania i łatwo dostępnego kredytu. Plany reform socjalnych nie zostały zrealizowane, ze względu na wydatki wojskowe. Był także ministrem zdrowia w roku 1923, w latach 1924–1929 i potem w roku 1931, w czasie swojego urzędowania przeprowadził ustawy socjalne.

W maju 1937 roku został premierem Wielkiej Brytanii. Jako premier prowadził politykę tzw. appeasementu , która polegała na stosowaniu ustępstw w polityce wobec hitlerowskich Niemiec i faszystowskich Włoch. Tą polityką kierował się Chamberlain w czasie negocjacji, jakie prowadził we wrześniu 1938 roku z Hitlerem w Berchtesgaden i Bad Godesberg. Taktyka ta miała na celu zachowanie pokoju w Europie za wszelką cenę, a także stworzenie przeciwwagi wobec zakusów stalinowskiego ZSRR na Europę Zachodnią. Innym wytłumaczeniem jego polityki może być próba odsunięcia wojny Wielkiej Brytanii z Niemcami ze względu na nieprzygotowanie do takiego konfliktu.

Zgodził się także podpisać układ monachijski oddający Niemcom część Czechosłowacji . Takie postępowanie mogło wówczas utwierdzić Hitlera w przekonaniu, że Wielka Brytania zachowa neutralność wobec wszelkich jego działań w Europie. Chamberlain nie odważył się na reakcję wobec hitlerowskiego pogwałcenia układu monachijskiego przez wkroczenie 15 marca 1939 Wehrmachtu do Pragi.

Po krytyce jego działań ze strony opozycji zmienił nieco kurs swojej polityki zagranicznej. Działania te, jak wprowadzenie w kwietniu 1939 roku powszechnego obowiązku służby wojskowej, były jednak spóźnione.

Jest prawdopodobne, że Chamberlain, podejrzewając rzekomą możliwość zawarcia sojuszu między Polską a Niemcami, chciał wykluczyć tę okoliczność i skierować niemiecką agresję na wschód. Z tego względu 31 marca 1939 roku ogłosił w parlamencie gwarancję niepodległości Polski. Było to zaskoczeniem nawet dla jego najbliższych współpracowników. Polsko-brytyjski traktat o wzajemnej pomocy zawarto 25 sierpnia 1939 roku. Po uderzeniu wojsk niemieckich na Polskę rząd brytyjski 3 września wystosował ultimatum żądające zaprzestania agresji niemieckiej, a wobec jego odrzucenia wypowiedział wojnę III Rzeszy.

Po fiasku brytyjskiej ekspedycji w sprawie Norwegii zaatakowanej przez Niemców i wobec ostrej opozycji w parlamencie 10 maja 1940 roku zrezygnował ze stanowiska premiera, pozostając jednak w gabinecie Winstona Churchilla.

Wkrótce wykryto u niego raka żołądka. W lipcu 1940 roku był operowany, w październiku zrezygnował z zajmowanych stanowisk, a 9 listopada zmarł. Wikipedia  

✵ 18. Marzec 1869 – 9. Listopad 1940   •   Natępne imiona Arthur Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain Fotografia
Neville Chamberlain: 63   Cytaty 3   Polubienia

Neville Chamberlain słynne cytaty

„Przywożę wam pokój.”

po powrocie z konferencji w Monachium, 1938.

„Trzeba wskazać królowi jego miejsce.”

kanclerz skarbu Chamberlain do premiera Baldwina w czasie kryzysu monarchii wywołanego przez Edwarda VIII.

„To straszne, dziwaczne, niesamowite, że mielibyśmy kopać rowy i zakładać maski gazowe z powodu kłótni w jakimś dalekim kraju, między ludźmi, o których nic nie wiemy.”

How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is, that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing. (ang.)
o niemieckim żądaniu aneksji Kraju Sudetów w przemówieniu radiowym w BBC, 27 września 1938.
Źródło: Chamberlain and appeasement http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/chamberlainandappeasementrev8.shtml, bbc.co.uk

Neville Chamberlain: Cytaty po angielsku

“I am myself a man of peace to the depths of my soul. Armed conflict between nations is a nightmare to me; but if I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate the world by fear of its force, I should feel that it must be resisted.”

Broadcast (27 September 1938), quoted in Keith Feiling, Neville Chamberlain (London: Macmillan, 1946), p. 372.
Prime Minister
Kontekst: I would not hesitate to pay even a third visit to Germany, if I thought it would do any good... I am myself a man of peace to the depths of my soul. Armed conflict between nations is a nightmare to me; but if I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate the world by fear of its force, I should feel that it must be resisted. Under such a domination, life for people who believe in liberty would not be worth living: but war is a fearful thing, and we must be very clear, before we embark on it, that it is really the great issues that are at stake.

“You have sat here too long for any good you are doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

Leo Amery, concluding his speech in the "Norway debate" (7-8 May 1940), in the British Parliament's House of Commons. In saying these words, he was echoing what Oliver Cromwell had said as he dissolved the Long Parliament in 1653. As quoted in Neville Chamberlain: A Biography by Robert Self (2006), p. 423
About

“We are not sufficiently advanced to reveal our ideas to the public, but of course we cannot deny the general charge of rearmament and no doubt if we try to keep our ideas secret till after the election, we should either fail, or if we succeeded, lay ourselves open to the far more damaging accusation that we had deliberately deceived the people…I have therefore suggested that we should take the bold course of actually appealing to the country on a defence programme, thus turning the Labour party's dishonest weapon into a boomerang.”

Diary entry (2 August 1935), quoted in Maurice Cowling, The Impact of Hitler. British Politics and British Policy. 1933-1940 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), p. 92.
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Kontekst: The Labour Party, obviously intends to fasten upon our backs the accusation of being 'warmongers' and they are suggesting that we have 'hush hush' plans for rearmament which we are concealing from the people. As a matter of fact we are working on plans for rearmament at an early date for the situation in Europe is most alarming... We are not sufficiently advanced to reveal our ideas to the public, but of course we cannot deny the general charge of rearmament and no doubt if we try to keep our ideas secret till after the election, we should either fail, or if we succeeded, lay ourselves open to the far more damaging accusation that we had deliberately deceived the people... I have therefore suggested that we should take the bold course of actually appealing to the country on a defence programme, thus turning the Labour party's dishonest weapon into a boomerang.

“We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.”

Speech at Heston Airport (30 September 1938), quoted in The Times (1 October 1938) Oxford Book of Modern Quotes http://hudsoncress.org/html/library/dictionaries/The%20Oxford%20Dictionary%20of%20Modern%20Quotations.pdf(pdf)
Prime Minister
Kontekst: This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine.... We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.

“It is evil things that we will be fighting against—brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution—and against them I am certain that the right will prevail.”

Broadcast from the Cabinet Rooms at 10 Downing Street (3 September 1939)
Prime Minister
Kontekst: This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note, stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany. … It is evil things that we will be fighting against— brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution— and against them I am certain that the right will prevail.

“He could have dealt France and ourselves a terrible, perhaps a mortal, blow then. The opportunity will not recur.”

Letter to Hilda Chamberlain (30 December 1939), quoted in Maurice Cowling, The Impact of Hitler. British Politics and British Policy. 1933-1940 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), p. 355.
Prime Minister
Kontekst: I stick to the view I have always held that Hitler missed the bus in September 1938. He could have dealt France and ourselves a terrible, perhaps a mortal, blow then. The opportunity will not recur.

“This is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honour. I believe it is peace in our time.”

"Neville Chamberlain 1937-40 Conservative" http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page135.asp, 10 Downing Street, number10.gov.uk (accessed 2006-06-11)
On returning to England from Munich in 1938; cf. Benjamin Disraeli's return from the Congress of Berlin in 1878
Prime Minister

“Monsieur J'aime Berlin [Mr. I-love-Berlin].”

French nickname for Chamberlain (punning on the sound of "Chamberlain" in French)
About

“If ever that silly old man comes interfering here again with his umbrella, I'll kick him downstairs and jump on his stomach in front of the photographers.”

Adolf Hitler after the Munich Agreement, quoted by Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, The Inner Circle Macmillan (1959), p. 135
About

“As you know I have always been more afraid of a peace offer than of an air raid.”

Letter to Ida Chamberlain (8 October 1939), quoted in Maurice Cowling, The Impact of Hitler. British Politics and British Policy. 1933-1940 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), p. 355.
Prime Minister

“Is this the end of an old adventure, or the beginning of a new; is this the last attack upon a small state or is it to be followed by others; is this in fact a step in the direction of an attempt to dominate the world by force?”

Speech in Birmingham (17 March 1939), quoted in The Times (18 March 1939), p. 12. On 15 March Hitler had invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in contravention of the Munich Agreement.
Prime Minister

“Mussolini…hoped Herr Hitler would see his way to postpone action [against Czechoslovakia] which the Chancellor had told Sir Horace Wilson was to be taken at 2 p. m. to-day for at least 24 hours so as to allow Signor Mussolini time to re-examine the situation and endeavour to find a peaceful settlement. In response, Herr Hitler has agreed to postpone mobilisation for 24 hours. Whatever views hon. Members may have had about Signor Mussolini in the past, I believe that everyone will welcome his gesture of being willing to work with us for peace in Europe. That is not all. I have something further to say to the House yet. I have now been informed by Herr Hitler that he invites me to meet him at Munich to-morrow morning. He has also invited Signor Mussolini and M. Daladier. Signor Mussolini has accepted and I have no doubt M. Daladier will also accept. I need not say what my answer will be. [An HON. MEMBER: "Thank God for the Prime Minister!"] We are all patriots, and there can be no hon. Member of this House who did not feel his heart leap that the crisis has been once more postponed to give us once more an opportunity to try what reason and good will and discussion will do to settle a problem which is already within sight of settlement. Mr. Speaker, I cannot say any more. I am sure that the House will be ready to release me now to go and see what I can make of this last effort. Perhaps they may think it will be well, in view of this new development, that this Debate shall stand adjourned for a few days, when perhaps we may meet in happier circumstances.”

Speech http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1938/sep/28/prime-ministers-statement in the House of Commons (28 September 1938). Chamberlain received Hitler's invitation to Munich as he was ending his speech.
Prime Minister

“In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.”

Speech at Kettering, (3 July 1938), The Times (4 July 1938)
Prime Minister

“Mr Chamberlain views everything through the wrong end of a municipal drain-pipe.”

David Lloyd George, as quoted in Rats! (1941) by "The Pied Piper", p. 108; similar remarks have also been attributed to Winston Churchill in later works, including Neville Chamberlain : A Biography (2006) by Robert C. Self, p. 12
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