Enemy on the Euphrates

$10.69

Taxes may apply at checkout.

Preview sample

Enemy on the Euphrates

The British Occupation of Iraq and the Great Arab Revolt, 1914-1921

Middle Eastern history

Author: Ian Rutledge

Dinosaur mascot

Language: English

Published by: Saqi Books

Published on: 12th June 2014

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 4 Mb

ISBN: 9780863567674


In 1920 an Arab revolt came perilously close to inflicting a shattering defeat upon the British Empire's forces occupying Iraq after the Great War.

A huge peasant army besieged British garrisons and bombarded them with captured artillery. British columns and armoured trains were ambushed and destroyed, and gunboats were captured or sunk. Britain's quest for oil was one of the principal reasons for its continuing occupation of Iraq. However, with around 131,000 Arabs in arms at the height of the conflict, the British were very nearly driven out. Only a massive infusion of Indian troops prevented a humiliating rout.

Enemy on the Euphrates

is the definitive account of the most serious armed uprising against British rule in the twentieth century. Bringing central players such as Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell vividly to life, Ian Rutledge's masterful account is a powerful reminder of how Britain's imperial objectives sowed the seeds of Iraq's tragic history.

Show moreShow less