The imperial army project : Britain and the land forces of the dominions and India, 1902-1945 / Douglas E. Delaney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Delaney, Douglas E. (Douglas Edward), 1964- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain. Army--History.

Great Britain.

Great Britain. Army. British Indian Army.

Great Britain. Army.

History, Military.

Military policy.

History.

Military relations.

Great Britain--Military relations--History--20th century.

Great Britain--History, Military--20th century.

Great Britain--Military policy--History--20th century.

India--History, Military--20th century.

India.

Physical Description:

xvii, 355 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2017.

Summary:

How did British authorities manage to secure the commitment of large dominion and Indian armies that could plan, fight, shoot, communicate, and sustain themselves, in concert with the British Army and with each other, during the era of the two world wars? What did the British want from the dominion and Indian armies and how did they go about trying to get it? Douglas E. Delaney seeks to answer these questions to understand how the armies of the empire worked together. Answering these questions requires a long-term perspective-one that begins with efforts to fix the armies of the British Empire in the aftermath of their desultory performance in South Africa (1899-1903) and follows through to the high point of imperial military cooperation during the Second World War. Based on multi-archival research conducted in six different countries on four continents, Delaney argues that the military compatibility of the British Empire armies was the product of a deliberate and enduring imperial army project that aimed at standardizing the armies of the empire, while, at the same time, accommodating the burgeoning autonomy of the dominions and even India. At its core, this book is really about how military coalitions functioned. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Frameworks: Elgin, Esher, Haldane, and the Idea of an Imperial Army, 1902-1909 p. 7

2 The Imperial General Staff, Military Education, Army Apostles, and the Land Forces of the Dominions and India, 1904-1914 p. 44

3 Growing, Controlling, and Fighting Imperial Armies, 1914-1918 p. 95

4 The Strands of Cooperation, 1919-1933 p. 165

5 Imperial Armies in the Period of Rearmament and Appeasement, 1933-1939 p. 201

6 The Last Great Imperial War Effort, 1939-1945 p. 230.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-341) and index.

ISBN:

0198704461

9780198704461

OCLC:

991100933