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The Prelude to Munich
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The Prelude to Munich book
The Prelude to Munich
DOI link for The Prelude to Munich
The Prelude to Munich book
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ABSTRACT
By early 1939, reactive representations of French opinion indicated that ideological polarization and defeatism were dissipating. Indeed, Paris intentionally cultivated British fears of French defeatism in order to force London to extend their continental commitment, even at the cost of conscription. French efforts in this regard continued apace in early 1939, lent additional weight by rumours of an imminent German move in the west. Within the British press, widespread support for French firmness was accompanied by opposition to the Rome visit being used to further appeasement. The Rome talks resulted in neither an unequivocal statement of British solidarity with France nor anything resembling another Munich. British public solidarity with France encouraged Paris to intensify their demands for British conscription. For the British policy-making elites, the Prague coup illustrated how opinion had evolved since Munich. The press was unanimous in condemning the German action, demanding a re-orientation of foreign policy.