Very interesting piece. It is impossible to know what might have happened had Britain & France stood firm during the Czech crisis. I'm glad you pointed out the degree to which Britain was unready for war, & how catastrophic another world war would (& did) be to her standing in the world. Ironically, I think of all the powers, France was the most readily prepared for war, & Czechoslovakia had a small, but first-class military. Still, as events were to show in Poland, how much could the erstwhile Entente partners actually do to defend Czechoslovakia?

Chamberlain never had the opportunity to publish a memoir. I've wondered from time to time whether he saw war as inevitable & used the Munich accord to give Britain more time to prepare, because, after all, the Polish guarantee basically put Britain on a collision course with Germany.