Monday 23 May 2011

What were the outcomes of the Gallipoli campaign?

The Failure of the August Offensive created doubts in London about the Gallipoli Campaign and evacuation was considered. Appalling weather conditions ,however, sealed the issue. A storm swept over the peninsular in late November that resulted in rain flooding trenches, in which men drowned, and drenched everything. The following snow and cold winds left many dead from exposure. Survivors from both sides were cold, miserable and barely able to fight. In London, the government reluctantly agreed to withdraw from Gallipoli. The evacuation went without any problems what so ever. The Anzacs left Sulva and Anzac on 19 and 20 of December and Helles was evacuated of its last British troops on the nights of 8 and 9 of January, 1916.  



This picture shows the miserable conditions the troops had to go through (This image was found at http://www.awm.gov.au/visit/images/PAIU1989_140_01_1.jpg)
 The campaign was a costly failure for the Allies who suffered 44,000 British and French deaths, as many as 8,700 Australian deaths and New Zealand suffered  2,721 deaths. The wounded though numbered in the hundreds of thousands with up to 100,000 British Allies, including 20,000 Australians and nearly 5,000 New Zealanders. It was also costly for the Turks who sustained 87,000 deaths in the campaign along with  as many as 160,000 Turks wounded.
 It was obvious now that the British Forces seriously underestimated the Turkish defenders and their leaders. For the Turks, it was the beginning of national revival. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was dubbed the 'Hero of Gallipoli' would soon be named the first president of the Turkish Republic.
After funding the war, Britain's economy had taken a turn for the worse. Britain who had been one of the worlds largest investors had now become one of the worlds most indebted nations. Inflation had more than doubled between 1914 and its peak in 1920. The value of the British Pound had dropped by 61.2%.
 The Campaign, though comparably a small part in the First world war, sparked a change on both sides, from the revival of turkey to Britains embarrassing evacuation.

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