An Incomplete Look at Appeasement

Lindsay W. Michie. Portrait of an Appeaser: Robert Hadow, First Secretary in the British Foreign Office, 1931-1939. Westport, Conn. and London: Praeger, 1996. xiv + 166 pp. $57.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-275-95369-0. Reviewed by John E. Moser Published on H-Diplo (November, 1998) In Portrait of an Appeaser, Lindsay Michie of‐ the rise of Nazism in Germany with some con‐ fers readers a study of her grandfather, Robert cern, but saw it as an understandable reaction to Henry Hadow, a British diplomat who served in that country's diplomatic ostracism, economic de‐ Vienna, Prague, and London in the 1930s. As the pression, and the threat of Communism. More‐ title suggests, Hadow was unflinching in his sup‐ over, he downplayed the risk of Austrian absorp‐ port of appeasement of Germany. As Michie tion into Germany, claiming that "conservative, writes, "[Hadow] shared the majority of the char‐ nationalist and particularly Christian-Social politi‐ acteristics associated with appeasement and re‐ cal opinion" in Austria reacted negatively to "at‐ mained loyal to this policy through the outbreak tempts to dictate Austrian policy from Berlin" (pp. of war in 1939 ..., to the point of indiscretion and 18-19). risk to his position and career" (pp. 1-2). In 1934 Hadow was transferred to Czechoslo‐ Michie attributes Hadow's support for ap‐ vakia, where he quickly distinguished himself as peasement to his fear of war, distrust of the a strong critic of the Benes government (blaming French, his emotional attachment to the British Benes for creating a "war neurosis" among the Empire, and his hostility to Communism. Like so Czechs, p. 49) and a supporter of the aspirations many British civil servants of the 1930s, he had of the Sudeten Germans. While he was clearly not served in the First World War, seeing action in endeared to the idea of a German annexation of France and the Middle East, watching friends die the Sudetenland, Hadow had tremendous respect and himself suffering a gunshot wound to the for the Sudeten German leader Konrad Henlein lung. He was determined that the next generation (calling him "a moderate and a Sudeten not a of Britons be spared the horrors which he saw. Gross Deutsche," p. 47) and warned that if his le‐ While posted to Austria (1931-34) he dis‐ gitimate grievances were not addressed "Hitler played a marked hostility to the French, whom he would march in to put the matter straight" (p. 46). blamed for Austria's economic woes. He viewed H-Net Reviews By the time of his 1937 transfer to the Foreign ferently had Hadow been assigned to posts of less Office in London, Hadow was a full-fledged cham‐ importance during this period. pion of appeasement, and soon became a loyal Nor does the book succeed in "explaining" ap‐ supporter of Neville Chamberlain. He consistently peasement. The factors which drove men like defended Germany throughout the Czech crisis of Hadow, Chamberlain, Halifax and Neville Hender‐ 1938 (claiming that "[t]he German Government son, she writes, were fear of war, distrust of has never entertained the idea of invading France, concern for the Empire's safety, and an Czechoslovakia," p. 94) and denounced what he abhorrence of Communism engendered by an up‐ saw as "blind support given to Prague by London per-class upbringing. This is certainly a valid (if and Paris" (ibid.). He later opposed making any not terribly original) conclusion. But it does not commitment to Poland, particularly if it involved explain very much, given that the same character‐ the Soviet Union, and as late as the summer of istics are readily identifiable among such promi‐ 1939 he was more concerned about the Russian nent opponents of appeasement as Winston threat to the Baltic states than he was about Ger‐ Churchill and Anthony Eden. There is obviously man pressure on Poland. more to the story, but the reader does not fnd it Michie's account of the events of the 1930s, as here. seen through Hadow's eyes, is interesting, well- Even more disturbing is the fact that Michie written, and even at times compelling. Her discus‐ approaches the diplomatic history of the events of sion of Hadow's intrigues in the Foreign Office the 1930s as if they had occurred in the 1730s. Al‐ paints a vivid picture of the state of that bureau most no mention is made of any influences on for‐ from 1937 to 1939. And while she is scrupulously eign policy coming from outside the Foreign Of‐ fair to her subject, she does not engage in the sort fice. There are a couple of references to public of apologia that one might suspect from a book opinion being generally supportive of appease‐ written about the author's grandfather. Michie ment, but Michie never elaborates on this theme. clearly counts herself among appeasement's crit‐ For instance, the reader fnds nothing about the ics, although she displays considerable sympathy resolution of the Oxford Union not to fght "for for Hadow's motives in promoting it. King and Country." There is very little discussion Indeed, had Michie given Hadow's early life of the national press; no mention of the overex‐ and later career more attention, the result might tension and vulnerability of the British Empire; have been a competent intellectual biography of and nothing about the attitude of the Left, which an interesting, though admittedly minor player in preached the merits of popular front with the So‐ the pivotal events of the 1930s. However, a biogra‐ viets while opposing government spending on ar‐ phy, intellectual or otherwise, is not the author's maments. Yet surely all of these factors had signif‐ goal. She seeks rather to provide the reader with a icant impact on British policy. If this were simply greater understanding of the phenomenon of ap‐ a biography of Hadow their omission might be peasement, but unfortunately the book fails to de‐ overlooked, but the reader expects more of a liver on this promise. For one, Michie never really work that purports to explain such a complex is‐ shows convincingly how Hadow, who by her own sue as appeasement. admission "did not hold a high position in the In the end, Michie offers the reader an inter‐ diplomatic service" (p. 1), managed to influence esting story about a minor fgure in British histo‐ British policy. Certainly, she never gives the im‐ ry, but little beyond that. Her account may pro‐ pression that anything would have happened dif‐ vide some valuable source material for some as- yet-unwritten (but much-needed) comprehensive 2 H-Net Reviews account of appeaesment, but readers seeking more substantive understanding of the subject will want to look elsewhere. Copyright (c) 1998 by H-Net, all rights re‐ served. This work may be copied for non-profit educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ tact [email protected]. If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-diplo Citation: John E. Moser. Review of Michie, Lindsay W. Portrait of an Appeaser: Robert Hadow, First Secretary in the British Foreign Office, 1931-1939. H-Diplo, H-Net Reviews. November, 1998. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2524 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3.

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