We hear a lot about Neville Chamberlain. It seems like every time someone compromises or decides some battle is not worth the fight, the person gets labelled as Neville Chamberlain trying to appease Hitler. Sometimes, the name is even invoked by people who don't have a clue what Prime Minister Chamberlain did to earn his dubious place as a historic analogy. Here's one such example.
Personally, I think it's sometimes smart to walk away from a battle you can't win or one that isn't cost effective (and not necessarily in terms of money) to win. I have worked with self-destructive people who think otherwise.
Anyway, Nick Baumann has done some research on the subject and the story of Neville Chamberlain, he says, is not exactly what people think it is when they're trying to lambaste someone for not going all-in on a war.