Lawrence of Arabia, Hero or Villain?

What is the historical understanding of Lawrence of Arabia’s role in the Middle East, and is he perceived as a hero or a villain?

A while ago I posted a poll question on my Instagram story regarding Thomas Edward Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia). The post had two clickable options underneath his image, “Hero” and “Villain.” My followers were invited to click on either one based on their perception of Lawerence. Granted one cannot merely categorize others as either heroes or villains; I was nonetheless curious how others perceived him. Based on the results of the post, 47% saw Lawrence of Arabia as a hero, while 53% perceived him as a villain. So was he a hero or a villain?

Who is Lawrence of Arabia?

Lawrence of Arabia was a British Intelligence Officer who fought alongside the Arabs against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. He was born in the United Kingdom in 1888, and at the age of 22, he moved to Beirut where he learned Arabic and practiced his archeological career on Crusader castles in the Levant[1]. In 1914, Lawrence was drafted by the British military to survey the Negev desert which was of geographical importance as it lay between the Ottoman Empire and British ruled Egypt. Lawrence was studying the area as an undercover archeologist, and this was mentioned in a letter he wrote to his parents[2]. 

The Arabs and their Ottoman rulers

Many mistakenly believe that Lawrence of Arabia was the driving force behind the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916. However, evidence suggests that the initiative to incite the Arabs against their Ottoman rulers had been under progress for nearly 40 years prior. Few Arab elites called for Arab autonomy in the Hejaz, while others sought for Arabification of Ottoman provinces. In 1882, Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi among others wrote several works which call for an Arab Caliphate and the indictment of then-current Ottoman ruler, Abdulhamid II. Others such as Rashid Rida pushed the Arabs to first rally alongside the Ottomans against the European invaders and then to seek reform from within the empire[3].

The Hejaz Railway

In 1908, the Ottomans had developed one of the greatest civil engineering feats of the 20^th century by connecting Istanbul with Medina via a railroad known as the Hejaz railway. The Hejaz railway was the supply line of Ottoman forces in Arabia. In addition to the transportation of people, the Hejaz railway was used to supply rations, weapons, and troops to the numerous garrisons in the region[4].

Arabs and the British Intelligence

Following the breakout of World War One in 1914, Lawrence, under the British Intelligence, aided the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans. The Arab Revolt was a two-year revolt led by Sheriff Hussain of Mecca against the Ottoman in the Arabian Peninsula in the hopes to create an Arab State. A memo written by Lawrence of Arabia in 1916 emphasizes the beneficial importance the revolt has on the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The memo states the following:

“The Arab Revolt is beneficial to us because it marches with our immediate aims, the breakup of the Islamic ‘bloc’ and the defeat and disruption of the Ottoman Empire.” [5]

The role of Lawrence of Arabia in the Arab Revolt

Although a pawn in a larger scheme to divide the Arab lands, Lawrence’s strategies in the Middle East were crucial to the success of the Arab Revolt in 1916. Lawrence of Arabia’s primary strategy was to cut the Ottoman empire from its provinces in Al Hejaz via the destruction of the Hejaz railway. By doing so, Lawrence was able to cut off the garrisoned Ottoman forces in the Hejaz from Palestine and Syria. However, Lawrence didn’t aim for the destruction of the Hejaz railway, but rather a series of temporary vandalism. By doing so, the Ottomans constantly devoted resources to its repair and effectively forced their garrisons to remain in the Hejaz rather than to unite with their remaining forces in Palestine [6].  By doing so, Lawrence was able to ensure a British Victory over Palestinian territories while the Ottoman forces were divided in the Hejaz and Istanbul.

The aftermath of the Revolt

After the success of the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans, the British failed to keep their promises made to the Sherif Hussain regarding the autonomy of an Arab state and the right of control to Syria and Palestine. The full detail of the agreements made between the British and the Arabs are known as the McMohan-Hussein correspondence and are one of the most important documents in modern Arab history [7].

Was Lawrence of Arabia a hero or Villain?

Several historians such as Michael Korda view Lawrence’s action as crucial to the Allies victory against the Ottomans in World War One. Furthermore, the Arab Revolt ultimately gave rise to Arab Nationalism, which for decades had been the foundation of many post-colonial countries in the Middle East.

On the other hand, however, the Arab Revolt led to the collapse of the Ottoman empire, which ultimately led to the Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916. According to numerous historians, the Sykes-Picot agreement is one of the main reasons behind multiple conflicts in the Middle East today [8]. Furthermore, Lawrence of Arabia’s strategy provided the British with the opportunity to establish the Mandate of Palestine in 1923, which ultimately led to the occupation of the Palestinian land. Regarding the question as to whether Lawrence of Arabia was a Hero or Villain, my only answer would be, it depends on who you ask.

References:

[1] Lawrence James, The Golden Warrior: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, Revised & updated.. ed. (London: Abacus, 1995).

[2] Lawrence wrote the following to his parents “We are obviously only meant as red herrings to give an archaeological colour to a political job.” Jeremy Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorised Biography of T.E. Lawrence (London: Heinemann, 1988). P.136

[3] Bruce Masters, The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918 a Social and Cultural History (Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press, 2013). P.215

[4] M. Ozyuksel, The Hejaz Railway and the Ottoman Empire: Modernity, Industrialisation and Ottoman Decline (Tauris Academic Studies, 2014).

[5] M. Curtis, Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam (Profile, 2018). P. 22

[6] Michael Korda, “Lawrence of Arabia, ‘Hero’ in the Middle East.” By Neal Conan. Talk of the Nation (2010).

[7] Britain Great et al., Correspondence between Sir Henry Mcmahon … And the Sherif Hussein of Mecca, July 1915-March 1916. With a Map. (Cmd. 5957.) (London, 1939).

[8] Jim Muir, “Sykes-Picot: The Map That Spawned a Century of Resentment,” BBC News 2016.