British Vulnerability and the Conquest of Mesopotamia
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This chapter discusses British oil policy before World War I. In the decade before World War I, the British government was becoming increasingly aware of the importance of oil for military power. But few officials anticipated that oil would become so indispensable to war that a country would be unable to prevail in a conflict without it. The chapter then analyzes Britain's choice to pursue a direct-control strategy in late 1918 by invading Mesopotamia. Dire vulnerability, underpinned by a yawning petroleum deficit and Britain's severe susceptibility to blockade as an island nation, spurred the government to accept the high costs and risks of securing oil with this most extreme strategy.
2014 ◽
Vol 46
(4)
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pp. 791-793
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1986 ◽
Vol 46
(3)
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pp. 769-794
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1992 ◽
Vol 33
(2)
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pp. 301-319
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1951 ◽
Vol 210
(1101)
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pp. 145-172
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