How...appeasing.

There's something about the name "Chamberlain" which conjures up greatness. Perhaps, and most likely, this is just some bizarre obsession I have with Anglo-Saxon names, but I'll admit that "Chamberlain" really can't compare with "Churchill." There's just something so solid about "Churchill."

Anyways, this is kind of spinning off of this post which discusses the Munich Agreement.

To me, the idea of appeasement is very much like the following cartoon:

(Source here)

Essentially, one person attempts to pacify another person via concessions. I was actually reminded in class of taking a dog biscuit and tossing it across the room in hopes that my very large, ill-behaved Rhodesian Ridgeback might follow the treat and leave me alone. I think this is what Chamberlain attempted to do. He was very much concerned with preserving peace...at least in Western Europe, specifically Britain. Czechoslovakia was the doggie biscuit, meant to distract Hitler, but while it did (perhaps) create more time for the armament of Britain (and France), what happened is best shown in this cartoon:

(Source here) Click to enlarge.

However, I do acknowledge that appeasement can be a rational decision, and even an intelligent one (for all the reasons we discussed in class).