Middle East after World War I

In this article, I will talk about the Middle East after the Great War and try to look at the roots of the ongoing crises in the region and the political landscape today. It was important for powerful states to have energy resources and soil fertility in the Middle East. The purpose of the European side is to share the Ottoman Empire with the right to self-determination and to take the caliphate in the hands of the Ottomans and to have the Arabs establish small independent states. Looking at the first causes, referring to some important developments such as militarism and of course alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. The Balkans and the Middle East are extremely important regions for the Central Powers in the post-war period, and therefore the Ottoman Empire had to abandon its troops from these lands and was ruled by the Allied Powers, Britain, and France.

In the Arab tradition, the protector of Hijaz was Sharif Hussein, and the Ottoman was close to him, the British manipulated him, and the area came under British control because Britain had made tempting promises to Sharif Hussein. From the British perspective, Sharif Hussein, a functional ally to be used against the Ottoman Empire, so England was promised to establish a larger Arab kingdom. After the Great War, Britain’s approach to its relations with Sheriff Hussein changed completely. Sharif Hussein aimed to create a great Arab monarchy, that is, with a region that includes today’s Saudi Arabia, today’s Iraq, Syria, part of turkey, this was an unacceptable proposition for England, so they intended to create a new political plan for the Middle East. The territorial claims and ambitions of Sharif Hussein were a problem for Britain, so they sought a new target, Abdulaziz bin Saud had great charisma among Arab tribes in the Middle East and he is a negotiator, he aimed to create a new target. His aim was to unite them under one flag and Abdulaziz bin Saud was the best candidate for the rise of the Arabs, many Arabs accepted it as a clear indication that a new era had begun in Saudi Arabia. The central powers realized that oil would play a key role in the economy and politics, the region became more strategic than in the past, the region was in a very strategic location and in a suitable location in terms of transportation. With the opening of the Suez Canal, it was possible to go to the Far East, and this made the middle eastern lands more valuable.

After the Great War, Egypt was always the center of Consciousness, with the influence of nationalist ideas in Europe in the late 19th century, Egyptians motivated themselves to create a new environment in Egypt. Egypt can be called the intellectual capital of the Arab world. A new dynasty was established in Egypt, the Ottoman sultan took a decision and the governors of Egypt would come from the family of Mehmet Ali Pasha: the name of this administration was hidiv. Mehmet Ali and his sons are called hidiv, England is victorious here, the stones of the first Arab nationalism are also laid in Egypt. An independence movement was formed both against the Ottomans and against the British. We clearly see the increasing dominance of the British Empire over Egyptian lands, and while serving in the late 19th century Egyptian lands were officially part of the Ottoman Empire, some Egyptians launched nationalist revolutions in the late 19th century. They were clear about preserving their independence, and these perspectives show that Egyptians will never accept either Ottoman domination or any other domination. With the end of the Great War in 1918, we saw Egypt encourage and motivate the Egyptian people and form a delegation to participate in the Paris peace. The Egyptian delegate led by Said Zahlul was Egypt’s request. Other Arab states in Egypt participate in the Paris Peace Conference, then they establish the Weft Party, they are driven to Malta because there is a rebellion. After the Paris Peace Conference, the Egyptian Khedives began to be kings and their first king was Fuat. Waft is a secular party, the Muslim Brotherhood Party is opening against this secular party, Abdulaziz bin Saud has come, Saudi Arabia has come to a critical position, separate kingdoms are being established for the sons of Sharif Hussein. England wants to establish a place where Iraq, Syria and Palestine are included, but because France does not allow it, it is forced to withdraw to Iraq.

When we came to Jordan, there were three basic elements in the establishment of this state by the British, establishing a buffer state to prevent the Arab tribes from fighting and preventing those tribes from causing trouble, and finally protecting Israel and preventing France from withdrawing to the south. In Palestine, there is the Balfour declaration in this period. Balfour is a lover of the Jews and he makes the British accept the creation of Israeli lands in Palestine. Migration continued until 1948, from Palestine to Israel. Finally, Israel was established with the support of the British. France is dominant in Syria and Lebanon, Faisal is heading to Iraq, due to the pressures of France. France’s strategy is to come to an agreement with the Nusayr in Syria, to bring them to a key place in the state and to make the majority hate the minority. As for Lebanon, when France first came to these lands, there are Druze and other groups, France was building such a system that a mixed political system was being established, a system that continues. In Iran too, the Bolsheviks announce all the secret agreements, there are Koçak as locals, they are trying to modernize the country by following the footsteps of Mustafa Kemal, the Escapee dynasty

In the postwar period, Wilson’s principles encouraged and motivated people to establish a new political status. Independent states emerged in the region like Egypt. The central powers were very worried, a series of secret agreements were made. With Woodrow Wilson’s new mentality design, Arabs were also affected by this approach, in which they mobilized the society against the colonial powers. England’s aim was to establish a British-dominated political administration in the entire Middle East region, and in the following years this led to some disagreements with England and France.