Overview

This book is a thought-provoking study of the Palestine campaign fought by the British-led Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) from 1917 to the withdrawal from Syria in 1919. The book also provides a reassessment of General Allenby's role as a forceful and mercurial commander in the events of this period. Under Allenby's command, the EEF first captured Jerusalem in December 1917, then annihilated the Turkish armies in Palestine at Megiddo in 1918 and proceeded to occupy the whole of the Levant. However, Matthew Hughes points out that these famous military successes mask the realities of the campaign which was poorly organised and executed, and, as a result, did little to defeat the Central Alliance. Prime Minister Lloyd George and his advisers, notably General Robertson, disagreed over the purpose of the Palestine campaign and this further impeded Allenby. Hughes goes on to show that the occupation of the Middle East by the British was more useful in providing for a peace settlement favourable to the British empire. After installing the pro-Hashemite Arabs in Damascus at the war's end, the British were able to gain France's acceptance for their occupation of Palestine and northern Iraq. However, the British were unable to persuade France to agree to adjustments of the eastern border of Syria for a land route to Palestine from Iraq. Therefore, in 1919, with its imperial needs satisfied and the need to retrench paramount, Britain withdrew from Syria.

Full Product Details

Author:   Matthew Hughes (Brunel University, UK)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Volume:   v. 1.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.544kg
ISBN:  

9780714649207

ISBN 10:   0714649201
Pages:   252
Publication Date:   31 May 1999
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Replaced By:   9780714644738
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Contemporary Review, Dec 99 ""This is a very thoughtful and also well researched study which helps us to understand a war that appears almost incomprehensible to modern Englishmen."" International History Review, Vol 22, No 1, March 2000 ""This volume is a welcome addition to a body of literature largely captivated either by military narratives or labyrinthine analyses of diplomatic chicanery. Attempting to synthesize these two approaches into a coherent exegesis is in itself a formidable undertaking, for which effort Hughes deserves high praise."" Reviews in History, at http://www.lonsoc.org.uk/ihr/reviews/simkins.html ""Matthew Hughes is to be congratulated on an excellent study which casts much interesting new light on our knowledge of the First World War. He writes lucidly and his grasp of a wide range of material is impressive. This book is highly recommended to all students of the Great War and of British policy in the Middle East."" Middle Eastern Studies ""Contributes towards the understanding of the role of the palestine Campaigns and the British push into the Middle east during the First World War"" ""This very readable and well-researched book is a must for those interested in the so-called side show campaigns of the First World War."" Army Historical Research"

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Matthew Hughes

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