I really can't add much to Irishgit's excellent review here. I do think that the historians are taking a clearer look at Chamberlain. Most of the generations who trashed his reputation are gone.

He was a realist and his defense preparations including building up the RAF and maintaining the navy saved Britain in the early years of the war.

His big mistake was extending the guarantee to Poland. Britain had as much chance helping Poland then as today Norway could spread its defensive wings over Nepal.

One of the most controversial figures in British history, Chamberlain will always be remembered for his policies of appeasement to the Axis Powers in the lead up to the Second World War.

While criticism of those policies is certainly valid, up to a point, a great many things are overlooked by his harshest critics. Firstly, and most importantly, Britain did not begin rearmament until late in the 1930's, and was militarily extremely weak (except for the Royal Navy) As Chancellor of the Exchequer (the cabinet post he held before becoming Prime Minister) Chamberlain greatly increased the budget for the RAF despite opposition from within his own party (including Churchill) because he believed that the greatest threat from Germany would be from the air. As a result of that, and the modernization of numerous factories taken over during the great depression, the RAF was meeting Messerschmidts with Spitfires instead of biplanes during the Battle of Britain.

Secondly, the policy of appeasement was widely supported, not only by all parties in the British House of Commons but by the general public. I should be remembered that the horrors of the First World War were a recent memory and there was considerable fear of becoming involved in another European conflict. It is arguable that British foreign policy under Chamberlain was aimed at denying Germany a "free hand" anywhere in Europe, and to the extent that concessions were offered they were due to military weaknesses, compounded by the economic problems of rearmament.

Thirdly, Chamberlain was no pacifist. As a member of Churchill's cabinet after his resignation he played a key role in the establishment of the Special Operations Executive, which was to have a significant effect in the course of the war.

Chamberlain was badly damaged in parliament, not by the events of Munich, nor the invasion of Poland, but by the failure of British arms in defense of the German invasion of Norway. Under criticism from within his own party and from some of his closest supporters, he attempted to form an all party government, but found that many key persons would not serve under him. On the day that Germany invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Chamberlain tendered his resignation and recommended Churchill as his successor.

What is very clear is that Chamberlain's European Policy overshadowed his achievements in other areas. He did much to improve housing, the plight of the working poor devastated by the depression, and improved the nation's health care. He also brought some semblance of order to Anglo-Irish relations, and did much to reduce tensions between the two countries.

While his European policies are deserving of criticism, it is difficult to say, given the resources and circumstances available, what else he could have done. Or frankly, what any other prime minister could have.