In this series, we are discussing the events of World War I that led to the partition of the Ottoman Empire.
This is episode 5-19: Lloyd George and the Middle East.
Before we get into the episode, let’s do a brief recap of where we are so far:
- In June 1916, two major events changed the course of the war
- First, Lord Herbert Horatio Kitchener, the British War Secretary, died at sea
- And second, Sharif Hussein, the Ottoman ruler of Mecca, launched his Arab Revolt
- The response to the Arab Revolt was anti-climactic as very few Arabs actually revolted
- Most of the world was focused on events in Europe and ignored the Middle East
- The casualties in Europe had reached historical levels with no end in sight
And with that, let’s begin our discussion of David Lloyd George.
World War I Casualties
One of the biggest questions many have about World War I is, why was the death toll so high?
How could the leading nations in the world, engage in a conflict that resulted in so much destruction?
Apart from World War II, World War I was the deadliest war in human history.