Demise of the British Empire in the Middle East: Britain's Responses to Nationalist Movements, 1943-55

ISBN-13: 9780714644776 / Angielski / Miękka / 1998 / 272 str.

Michael Cohen; Martin Kolinsky

Opis

Britain emerged from World War II dependent both economically and militarily upon the US. Egypt formed the hub of Britain's imperial interests in the Middle East. However, Britain's inability to maintain a large garrison in the region was clear to the indigenous peoples. In the Arab world itself, the old conservative elites had no solutions for the economic and social distress of the masses, which had been aggravated by the privations of war. These elites were now threatened by a new, Westernised middle stratum, the effendiyya, and tried the risky tactic of diverting the masses' frustration towards the British. This often backfired and even brought down the ancien regime in Egypt. The first Arab-Israeli War in 1948 was also a traumatic event for the region, with the Arab ruling elites' standing further damaged by their unexpected humiliation at the hands of the Israelis.

Spis treści

The Jerusalem Post -"In this excellent historical resume, a dozen British, American and Israeli scholars, including the editors, examine Britain"s relations with Egypt and the Arab league, its miscalculations in Iraq and Jordan and its inability to resolve the Palestinian question."



Imperial and Commonwealth History-" As a whole, Cohen and Kolisky"s Demise of the British Empire in the Middle East provides a penetrating set of essays which throw much-needed light on the reasons for Britain"s fall from pre-eminence in the ten years following the end of the Second World war."



MESA Bulletin 33, 1999

"The collection covers old ground, but it does so with new documentary material and some interesting interpretations."



Twentieth Century British History- " It offers a wide-ranging and informative collection of articles which should prove of interest to readers of British and Middle Eastern history, politics and economics.

O autorze

Michael Cohen, Dr Martin Kolinsky, Martin Kolinsky