Product Description

This book challenges the orthodoxy that Chamberlain's appeasement policy before World War II was justified by Britain's inability to pay for rearmament. It shows that British war potential was actually massive, with a solid foundation in the existing Imperial economy. Using previously unconsidered and recently declassified documents from British and American archives, the author demonstrates that the deliberate and political rejection of rearmament in the hope of eventual American support proved catastrophic for Britain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1813124 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 246 pages

About the Author
CHRISTOPHER PRICE specialises in the study of British history and international relations between the world wars, and has written on British rearmament and Anglo-American political economy. Since completing his doctorate in 1998 he has worked as a Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, College of Ripon and York in the Programme of American Studies. He is shortly to teach in the Department of Economics at the University of York.

Customer Reviews

A Striking and Lively Account of a Shabby Period in History
Dr Price effectively challenges assumptions of British rearmament, autarchy, and US-Anglo relations. In what could have been a straight account of complex political negotiations and economic imperatives, Price effectively and interestingly tells the story of institutional incompetence and the harsh realities of Anglo-American relations. The image of the warships steaming out of Portsmouth, taking US gold out of threatened Britain is striking.