Towards Rearmament, 1934–1935

This chapter outlines the major developments in the years 1934 and 1935, as Britain entered a period of planning without spending, and attempting to lay the groundwork for a potential rearmament without physically ordering a great deal of weapons. This involved a protracted debate over the ‘ultimate potential enemy’, including the role of Neville Chamberlain and Maurice Hankey in attempting to impose their will upon the future direction of British policy in light of the rise of Hitler, as well as creating a set of hypotheses upon which rearmament was to be based via the Defence Requirements Committee.