This thesis is concerned with British policy in relation to General Edmund Allenby's command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (E.E.F.) from June 1917 to November 1919. This thesis divides into two parts: until October 1918 the Palestine campaign of the E.E.F. is evaluated in terms of its position within wider British war strategy, and in particular it is shown how the campaign did very little to help Britain's efforts to defeat the Central powers during the First World War; with the armistice in October 1918 the focus is on the politfcal and imperial aspects of the battlefield victories by Allenby which resulted in the occupation by the E.E.F. of Palestine and Syria. These non-military concerns come to the fore in the post-war peace settlements, and it is shown how the usefulness of the Palestine campaign extended beyond the war's end to November 1919 when the E.E.F. withdrew from Syria. This thesis reveals that the Palestine campaign needs to be analysed not just for its contribution to the defeat of the Central powers, but that it had a non-military dimension which centred round the need to provide Britain with negotiating strength at the Paris Peace Conference so as to provide for long-term British imperial security. Allenby's operations to October 1918 are, therefore, examined for more than just their military significance, and in this work a complete analysis of the Palestine campaign is undertaken. This thesis shows how too often the existing literature on the Palestine campaign concentrates either on the purely military aspect, or focuses on the formation of the modern Middle East. What is typically left out is the connection between the two. It is shown that the Palestine campaign was Clausewitzian in that operations were used as a means to further political ends, and that these political concerns influenced the conduct of the campaign. Allenby's central role in these matters means that this thesis comments on his role and position, not just as a militaiy commander, but also in relation to the political and imperial aspects outlined above.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:309159 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Hughes, Matthew Dominic |
| Publisher | King's College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/general-allenby-and-the-campaign-of-the-egyptian-expeditionary-force-june-1917--november-1919(3b5e8d1b-8a19-46ec-aec7-ee79eaedbdf0).html |
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