Churchill and Zionism. The British Mandate in Palestine

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject History of Europe - Ages of World Wars, grade: 2,3, LMU Munich (Historisches Seminar, Abteilung Jüdische Geschichte), course: The British Mandate in Palestine 1917-1948, language: English, abstract: The question underlying this paper is the comparison between the interpretations of Churchill's role in relation to British policy making in Palestine with special reference to the periods 1921-22 and 1944-48 offered by M.J. Cohen and Sir Martin Gilbert. This will be dealt with in the main part of this thesis by comparing the opinions offered by the two authors in their books 'Churchill and the Jews: a lifelong friendship' by Sir Martin Gilbert and 'Churchill and the Jews' by Michael J. Cohen. Also, the perspective from which both authors draw their conclusions and whether or not they share a common ground will be looked upon. As a result, the thesis aims at classifying the authors' view on Churchill's attitude towards Zionism in relation to the Palestine mandate and British policy in the respective periods, as well as capturing Churchill´s reality in connection to Zionism. Historians have continuingly challenged his actions as being opportunistic and self-serving, while others claim they were rather evangelical and the result of deep compassion with the Jewish race and their sufferings.