British Miscalculations: The Rise of Muslim Nationalism, 1918-1925 - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1412847494 ISBN 13: 9781412847490

Publisher: Routledge, 2012

Synopsis

In the aftermath of World War I there was furious agitation throughout Islam against the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. Coupled with the powerful effect of the principle of self-determination, British indifference to Muslim sentiments gave rise to militant nationalism in Islam—which became de facto anti-Western. This detailed and convincing account describes British indecisiveness, policy contradictions, and how militant nationalism was aggravated by the Greek invasion of Smyrna and its ambition to create a Hellenic Empire in Anatolia with Britain’s connivance.

Immediately after World War I there was a fair chance of mutual coexistence and good relations between Arabs and Jews in Palestine. This possibility was nipped in the bud by the military administration (1918-1920) responsible for the anti-Jewish riots in Jerusalem in April 1920. High Commissioner Herbert Samuel supported the Arab extremists in his misguided policy, and complicated the situation further. The appointment of Hajj Amin al-Husseini to the exalted post of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and subsequently to the presidency of the Supreme Moslem Council of the Palestinians, proved fatal to Arab-Jewish relations and to the possibility of peace.

As Friedman shows, the British administration of Palestine bears a considerable share of responsibility for the Arab-Zionist conflict in Palestine. Against this diplomatic background Arab-Jewish hostilities thrived, with consequences that endure today.

About this title

About the Author:

Isaiah Friedman was professor emeritus of history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He was elected senior fellow at St. Antony’s College, Oxford and was a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. He is the author of Germany, Turkey and Zionism, 1897-1918; Palestine: A Twice Promised Land? Vol. 1: The British, the Arabs, and Zionism, 1915-1920; the editor of twelve volumes in the series Documents on the Rise of Israel; and co-editor of the new edition of Encyclopaedia Judaica,  (2007).

Review:

“Isaiah Friedman has produced yet another outstanding study based on numerous original sources. He shows convincingly that the British (Churchill excepted) failed to appreciate the desire of the Middle Eastern peoples for independence. Friedman also reveals that the British administration in Palestine bore considerable responsibility for the origins of the Arab-Zionist conflict. This excellent book is a must for teachers and students of modern Middle Eastern history as well as for anyone interested in it.”

—Jacob M. Landau, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“As always, Isaiah Friedman’s analytic survey of twentieth-century Middle Eastern history is distinguished by impeccable research and felicitous prose. His survey of British diplomacy in the seething post-World War I cauldron of contending imperial powers and native peoples is required reading both for students and specialists.”

—Howard M. Sachar, author of The Emergence of the Middle East and Europe Leaves the Middle East

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1412847494
• ISBN 13: 9781412847490
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 394
• Editor: Friedman Isaiah