The War Lords and the Gallipoli Disaster: How Globalized Trade Led Britain to Its Worst Defeat of the First World War, by Nicholas A. Lambert

Abstract

In February 2022, Turkey closed the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits to all military vessels. Meanwhile, with Russia and Ukraine responsible for 30 per cent of the wheat traded globally, the anticipated disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of its neighbour has led to a 50 per cent price increase for this vital foodstuff in trading in Chicago. Such is the nature of the interconnections of this trade that repercussions are reported for Australia (anticipating a bonanza), Egypt (resorting to food protectionism to protect its population), and unrest is feared in the Middle East and North Africa. Here is a vivid and unwelcome demonstration of enduring strategic considerations that lie at the heart of Nicholas Lambert’s excellent new book. It situates British decision-making in the First World War in the context not simply of the shifting obligations of alliances and the calculation of how best to deploy military and naval assets, but also the dangers arising from financial entanglements with Russia and the risk of social unrest from price inflation.