Lions led by donkeys. The standard description of the hundreds of thousands that went into the World War One killing machine to fight for the British Empire. Every so often a new historian, determined to get his or her book published, tells us that we have it all wrong, that Commander-in-Chief Haig and co were really faced with no choice than to lead, well order, their working class minions into the slaughter.
But the 'revisionist' historians have never got away with it. Popular culture, sometimes passed between generations by word of mouth, insists on the truth. Imperious, ruling elite dead-heads destroyed 2 million from the British Empire including 1.6 million from Britain - on the so called battlefields. And that was just 'our' side.
But wait a minute! A new genius has arrived on the scene. Professor Gary Sheffield has offered a different analysis of Haig. The prof has decided to analyse Haig from the point of view of, wait for it, the business model! And his conclusion? The business model proves that Haig
"Was a good strategic leader."
If we look at the model, "not the deaths", then Haig's "wider strategic leadership" is clear!
Sheffield, ex Land Warfare Historian on the Higher Command and Staff Course at the UK's Joint Services Command and Staff College, (God help us -and them) has published a lot about Haig.
Don't buy his books. Believe your great grandparents.
No comments:
Post a Comment