Why England Slept

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Why England Slept (1940) is the published version of a thesis written by John F. Kennedy in his senior year at Harvard College. Its title alludes to Winston Churchill's 1938 book Arms and the Covenant, published in the United States as While England Slept, which also examined the buildup of German power. Kennedy's book examines the failures of the British government to take steps to prevent World War II and its initial lack of response to Adolf Hitler's threats of war. Rather than castigating the popular appeasement policy that the British government then pursued, it is notable for taking the uncommon stance that if Great Britain had confronted Nazi Germany earlier it would have been far more disastrous for her than the delay caused by the appeasement policies of Chamberlain and other British leaders.

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