Strategy and Foreign Policy in Great Britain, 1930–1938: From the Pursuit of the Balance of Power to Appeasement

Anschluss: The Chamberlain Government and the First Test of Appeasement, February–March 1938

“…After becoming Prime Minister, Chamberlain replaced the pursuit of the various balances with appeasement as the strategic basis of British strategy -what he called 'better relations with the dictators'. 8 In his view the Foreign Office, dominated by Sir Robert Vansittart, the Permanent Under-Secretary since January 1930, had responsibility for ensuring that the balance remained as the basis of British strategy. Vansittart had promoted the Field Force since early 1934, and in a series of high-level discussions that constructed foreign and defence policy thereafter, the Foreign Office view shaped the nature and purpose of British external policies.…”