John Denis Charmley FRHistS (born 9 November 1955) is a British academic and diplomatic historian. Since 2002 he has held various posts at the University of East Anglia: initially as Head of the School of History, then as the Head of the School of Music and most recently as the Head of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Humanities.[1] Since 2016 he has been Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic strategy at St Mary's University, Twickenham. In this role he has been responsible for initiating the University's Foundation Year Programme, reflecting Professor Charmley's commitment to widening educational access. [2]
John Charmley | |
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Born | Birkenhead | 9 November 1955
Education | Pembroke College, Oxford |
Occupation | Historian |
Parent(s) | John ('Jack') and Doris Charmley |
He was educated at Rock Ferry High School and Pembroke College, Oxford (BA, 1977; DPhil, 1982).[3]
Charmley sums up his verdict on the career of Winston Churchill in Churchill: The End of Glory:
Charmley has also tried to rehabilitate Neville Chamberlain. F. M. Leventhal, in a review of Chamberlain and the Lost Peace, suggested that while Charmley's work portrayed a courageous leader with "a deep and humane desire to leave no stone unturned to avoid war," Chamberlain's inability to recognise Hitler's ambition meant that "perhaps that is why Winston Churchill's reputation remains largely untarnished, while Chamberlain's, Charmley's initiative notwithstanding, cannot be resuscitated".[5]
Some historians argue that it is difficult to blame the fall of the British Empire on Churchill, as it was exceedingly likely to fall anyway. Scholars also find the idea of a truce with Germany unwise at best, as Richard M. Langworth wrote:
A more general critique of the idea of making peace with Germany comes from Manfred Weidhorn:
Military historian Correlli Barnett calls it "absurd ... that instead of going to war Britain could, and should, have lived with Wilhelmine Germany's domination of western Europe. This is glibly clever but actually preposterous as his claim ... that Britain could and should have unilaterally withdrawn into neutrality in 1940–41"[8]