The British Mandate, 1945-47

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Learning aims

By the end of this section of the course you should be able to:

• Explain the reasons Britain gave up the mandate
• Evaluate the impact of Arab and Jewish terrorist activities in the 1940s

Key events and processes:

• The McDonald Report and the White Paper of 1939
• The Impact of the Second World War
• British liberate Bergen Belsen (April, 1945)
• Jewish insurgency (begins October 1945
• Menachem Begin and Irgun
• Abraham Stern and the Stern Gang (Lehi)
• Ernst Bevin, British Foreign Secretary
• Irgun blow King David Hotel (July 1946)
• Ben Hecht article, in New York Herald Tribune (15 May 1947)
• SS Exodus turned back from Palestine (July 1947)
• The Sergeant’s Affair (
• Haganah

1. The Impact of WWII and the end of the British MandateReadings:
   • • • Hilary Brash, The Middle East: Conflict, Crisis and Change, 1917-2012, pp. 11-15.
       • Hodder, pp. 10-12: Terrorism and the end of British rule;
       • Edexcel, pp. 9-10

   Tasks

   • 1. Take notes on the end of British Palestine:End of British Rule in Palestine – Notes Guide
     2. Read:Notes on British policy changes in Palestine.
     3. Homework: (B question) Explain Two causes of the Jewish insurgency in Palestine in the years 1945 to 1947 (8)
     4. Draw a spider diagram showing all the possible reasons why the British position in Palestine had become impossible by 1947
     5. Which reasons were the most significant? Pick two and write a paragraph explaining your choice.
     6. Read ‘Why did the British withdraw from Palestine?‘ and answer the question that follows.

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