The Unforgettable Impact of The Great War on the Middle East that Shaped Our World Today

The Great War, also known as World War I, was a global conflict that took place from 1914 to 1918. It involved major powers from around the world, including European nations, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire. While the war had its roots in Europe, its impact reverberated far beyond the continent. In this article, we will explore the profound and lasting effects of the Great War on the Middle East, a region that experienced significant political and territorial changes as a direct result of the conflict.

1. Collapse of the Ottoman Empire

The Great War marked the beginning of the end for the Ottoman Empire, a once mighty and sprawling empire that had ruled over much of the Middle East for centuries. The Ottoman Empire aligned itself with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria) during the war, making it a target for the Allies (France, the British Empire, and Russia).

The Great War and the Middle East

by Rob Johnson (Kindle Edition)

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As the war progressed, the Ottoman Empire faced multiple military defeats and internal unrest. The Allies, driven by their strategic interests in the region and promises of self-determination to various ethnic and religious groups, initiated a series of campaigns to dismantle the empire.

By the end of the war, the Ottoman Empire had disintegrated, and its territories were divided and placed under the control of various Allied powers. This marked a major turning point in the history of the Middle East.

2. The Sykes-Picot Agreement

One of the significant consequences of the Great War in the Middle East was the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement, signed in 1916. This agreement between Britain and France aimed to divide the Ottoman Empire's territories in the region into distinct spheres of influence.

The agreement drew artificial borders across the Middle East, disregarding ethnic, religious, and tribal divisions that had existed for centuries. These borders, established primarily for European interests, would have a lasting impact on the region.

3. Birth of Modern Nation-States

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Sykes-Picot Agreement laid the foundation for the creation of modern nation-states in the Middle East. The territories that were once under Ottoman control were now controlled by Britain and France, who carved out separate territories and established mandates.

During the post-war period, mandates were granted to these European powers by the League of Nations, authorizing them to govern and prepare these territories for self-rule. The modern nation-states of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine emerged from this process.

4. Rise of Arab Nationalism

The Great War also sparked a wave of Arab nationalism across the Middle East. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, various Arab groups and leaders seized the opportunity to fight for independence and self-determination.

Notable figures like T. E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, played a key role in rallying Arab tribes against the Ottoman forces. The Arab Revolt, which took place during the war, fueled aspirations for independence and contributed to the rise of Arab nationalism in the region.

5. Balfour Declaration and the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Another result of the Great War was the Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government in 1917, expressing support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

This declaration and subsequent British policies laid the foundation for the Zionist movement and the eventual creation of the State of Israel. However, it also led to the displacement and marginalization of the Palestinian Arab population, sparking a conflict that continues to this day.

The Great War had a profound and far-reaching impact on the Middle East. It brought about significant political and territorial changes, collapsing the centuries-old Ottoman Empire and reshaping the region through the establishment of modern nation-states as well as the rise of Arab nationalism. The repercussions of the war, such as the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration, continue to shape the social, political, and cultural dynamics of the Middle East today.

The Great War and the Middle East

by Rob Johnson (Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6215 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	382 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

The First World War in the Middle East swept away five hundred years of Ottoman domination. It ushered in new ideologies and radicalised old ones - from Arab nationalism and revolutionary socialism to impassioned forms of atavistic Islamism. It created heroic icons, like the enigmatic Lawrence of Arabia or the modernizing Atatürk, and destroyed others. And it completely re-drew the map of the region, forging a host of new nation states, including Turkey, Iraq,
Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia - all of them (with the exception of Turkey) under the 'protection' of the victor powers, Britain and France. For many, the self-serving intervention of these powers in the region between 1914 and 1919 is the major reason for the conflicts that have raged there on
and off ever since.

Yet many of the most commonly accepted assertions about the First World War in the Middle East are more often stated than they are truly tested. Rob Johnson, military historian and former soldier, now seeks to put this right by examining in detail the strategic and operational course of the war in the Middle East. Johnson argues that, far from being a sideshow to the war in Europe, the Middle Eastern conflict was in fact the centre of gravity in a war for imperial domination and prestige.
Moreover, contrary to another persistent myth of the First World War in the Middle East, local leaders and their forces were not simply the puppets of the Great Powers in any straightforward sense. The way in which these local forces embraced, resisted, succumbed to, disrupted, or on occasion overturned
the plans of the imperialist powers for their own interests in fact played an important role in shaping the immediate aftermath of the conflict - and in laying the foundations for the troubled Middle East that we know today.