'Evaluate the impact of the Jewish insurgency between 1945 & 1948 in effecting the British Governments decision to withdraw from Mandate Palestine.'

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In early 1947, Ernest Bevin, British Foreign secretary, informed the Defence Committee that staying in Palestine was of great importance if ample oil were to continue to flow to Britain. The Chiefs of Staff agreed, concluding that 'handing over the Mandate [would lead to a loss of] our predominant position in the Middle East.' Yet, on the 20th September 1947, the British cabinet voted to withdraw from Palestine. Why? Writing on the reasons for the British evacuation of Palestine, the respected Mandate historian, Motti Golani declares that 'the question of "who expelled the British from Palestine" has long since ceased to engage historians of the late British Mandate period.' In Golani's reading (shared by many other historians of the Mandate) the Jewish insurgency played very little role in ending British rule in Palestine. Instead, the historiography treats the end of the Mandate as symptomatic of a rapid & irreversible collapse of the British Empire, brought about by Britain's weak economic position after 1945. Add to this American pressure, the Labour party's ostensible will to decolonise & a desire by both Labour & the populace to focus on domestic issues & the traditional argument is complete. My research at BA & MA level has led me to the conclusion that the conventional historiography does not accurately portray the impact of the insurgency & therefore needs revaluating. The historiography tends to focus on physical destruction caused by the insurgency, dismissing this cost as a drop in the water in terms of Britain's post-war problems. However, my work would cast a wider net. Section of my thesis would deal with the impact of the insurgency on the morale of the British in Palestine (army personnel, police, civil servants & administrators), the public reaction to events in Palestine as well as what impact the declining morale of the British in Palestine & public outrage & hysteria had on those with power & influence: the government, parliament, civil servants & the top echelons of the administration in Palestine, such as the last High Commissioner. It will also be necessary to devote space to studying the economic situation of Britain post-war & the overall financial impact of the insurgency. By 1947, Britain was spending £30 million per annum on the police & £40 million on military upkeep in Palestine. By considering social, political & economic points of view my research will avoid becoming merely 'political history', 'bottom up history', instead offering a holistic view of the insurgency.The various facets of my research requires the use of primary source material available in the UK & in Israel. With regards to the morale of the army & police force, the Middle East Centre Archive at St Anthony's College is indispensable. Interviews carried out with ex-members of the police & army in Palestine offer a first-hand insight into the period by those who experienced the insurgency at close quarters. For the more difficult task of ascertaining the attitude of the British public to events in Palestine, I believe the Mass Observation surveys, held at Sussex University, are of particular use. The organization gathered data from a diverse range of people from varying classes, cities & of political views, giving a more comprehensive picture of what 'the people' thought. Also of use are letters columns in newspapers & diaries from the period. Both contain expressions of frustration & anger over the insurgency. Political & economic documents also need to be examined. All of these resources, taken together as a single body, are invaluable for challenging the existing historiography by authors working in both English & Hebrew. Regarding Hebrew sources, the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre, the Central Zionist Archives, the National Library of Israel & the Jabotinsky Institute all hold useful primary materials which deal with the insurgent's tactics, aims and contact between the various groups