'British failure at Gallipoli contributed to the collapse of Imperial Russia'.

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British failure at Gallipoli contributed to the collapse of Imperial Russia’.

Gallipoli has previously been crudely blamed for the Russian Revolutions of 1917, like many critical events in history, there is always more than one event that triggers such action.  This paper will examine the lead up to the battle of Gallipoli the main events that took place during this period, Britain’s part in the Gallipoli operation, the impact and consequences of the decisions made by British military in charge.  It will also look at its involvement and by the nature of its decisions whether Britain had a part to play in the aforementioned revolutions.  

Britain and France were fully aware the importance of staying neutral with Turkey, in the event of any hostilities.  Both were greatly distressed when two days before the outbreak of the First World War, Turkey formed an alliance with Germany against Russia, although Turkey was not committed to any military action.  Britain could predict the disastrous affects this would have on Britain as grain was transported from Russia through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, which was under the Turkish Ottoman Empire.   It also hindered the export of military arms and supplies from Britain to Russia, the Ottoman Empire had a history of repressive rule under the Hamid family, when in1877 Sultan Mohammed V Hamid took over the rule from his brother he was merely a figurehead for a more sinister youthful group of revolutionaries known as the ‘young Turks’, they run the country with just as much severity.  Britain’s main concern was the possibility of Turkey entering the war, and at the time the British navy was positioned in Turkey, by September 1914, the British navel mission was withdrawn from Turkey.  Unfortunately this lead to German command being extended to the Turkish navy, this was to have disastrous consequences when without permission of the Turkish government, the German commander of the Dardanelle fortifications closed the waterway, this was in direct contravention of international law of the time.  Although there were some protestations from members of the Turkish government, Turkey was firmly on the German side.  Development of the conflict against Russia increased around the 29th, 30th of October, Goeben, Breslave and other vessels, mainly Turkish but crewed mainly by Germans attacked Russian shore on the black sea coast.  Britain, France and Russia joined together and issued an ultimatum to the Turkish government, this remained unanswered and forced official hostilities to begin on the 31st October 1914.  

The problem for Britain was that the trench lines run from the North sea to Switzerland, so it would be unlikely on the ‘western front’ for a swift decisive victory, Britain needed to relieve the pressure on Russia, this brought about the resurrection of the Dardanelle plan.  This plan had been thought of before the outbreak of war between Lord Kitchener and Winston Churchill.  One of the main problems of the original plan was the route through Greece; however King Constantine of Greece was related by marriage to the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, which led Constantine to become increasingly pro-German.  The British war council which included one of the original  mastermind’s of the Dardanelle plan Winston Churchill along with Lord Fisher, decided on a route initially considering a Greek landing on the Gallipoli peninsula, which was the key to the Dardanelles and the passage to the sea of Marmara to Constantinople, which leads out to the Black sea.  This was not only to be a navel operation but was to be supported by a Franco-British landing on the Asiatic side, by the Dardanelles being forced by a squadron of old British battleships, Churchill saw these ships as expendable and outdated and fit for the cause because of this.  Britain hoped for Greece, Bulgaria, Rumania and Italy to relinquish their neutrality and join a Balkan coalition against Turkey, allowing the passage for Russian ships through the Black sea on to the Mediterranean, to enable munitions to run between Russia and its western allies.  

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There were concerns with the plans from Lord Fisher, he felt that Churchill was over stretching the navy, mainly that the Dardanelles would appropriate resources that were needed to fight the German fleet on the North Sea, he also argued that even though the older battleships were expandable, and their experience crews were most certainly not.  Fisher eventually agreed and along with Lord Kitchener a British landing was agreed which included the British 29th division and the Australian and New Zealand divisions; command was given to Ian Hamilton an old colleague of Kitchener.  Hamilton made changes from the start, most ...

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