a history of the Middle East

History of the world

The 17th century

The 18th century

The 19th century

The 20th century - 1st quarter

The 20th century - 2nd quarter

The 20th century - 4th quarter

The 21st century

History of religion

Greece, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria claimed independence.

French annexed Algeria in 1830 and Tunisia in 1878

British occupied Egypt in 1882 though it remained under nominal Ottoman sovereignty

British established effective control of the Persian Gulf

the French extended their influence into Lebanon and Syria.

in 1912, the Italians seized Libya and the Dodecanese islands

The Ottomans turned to Germany to protect them from the western powers, but the result was increasing financial and military dependence on Germany.

In 1914, Enver Pasha's alliance with Germany led the Ottoman Empire into the fatal step of joining Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I, against Britain and France. The British saw the Ottomans as the weak link in the enemy alliance, and concentrated on knocking them out of the war. When a direct assault failed at Gallipoli in 1915, they turned to fomenting revolution in the Ottoman domains, exploiting the awakening force of Arab, Armenian, and Assyrian nationalism against the Ottomans.

The Allies, led by Britain, won the war and seized most of the Ottoman territories with Turkey just managing to survive.

departure of European powers

the founding of Israel in 1948 and Israel's victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

the growing importance of the oil industry

allowed large numbers of Soviet Jews to emigrate from Russia and Ukraine to Israel

cut off the easiest source of credit, armaments, and diplomatic support to the anti-western Arab regimes, weakening their position

opened up the prospect of cheap oil from Russia, driving down the price of oil and reducing the west's dependence on oil from the Arab states

discredited the model of development through authoritarian state socialism, which Egypt (under Nasser), Algeria, Syria, and Iraq had followed since the 1960s, leaving these regimes politically and economically stranded.

encouraged Saddam Hussein to rely upon Arab nationalism rather than socialism leading to a prolonged war between Iraq and Iran from 1980-88, and then its fateful invasion of Kuwait in 1990 resulting in the Gulf War with the US who drove Iraq out.

Turkey, then an under-prepared Britain & France declare war on Russia with Austria remaining neutral but becoming an enemy of Russia for doing so; 

Russian forces worn down in the Crimea in 1855 & the new Russian Tsar Alexander II sued for peace;

Greek troops land in and occupy Izmir (classical Smyrna), with Allied approval. Greek atrocities begin on the local Turkish Muslim civilian population, leading to widespread Turkish disaffection.

Turkish War of Independence commences

Fighting b/n France & Syria;

Egypt's Saad Zaghloul orchestrated mass demonstrations in Egypt known as the First Revolution which was repressed by the British killing 800.

Syrian forces were defeated by the French in the Battle of Maysalun;

Iraqi forces were defeated by the British when they revolted.

Treaty of Sèvres, marking the beginning of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. Rejected by Turkish nationalists and eventually leads to the abolition of the monarchy by the Government of the Grand National Assembly based in Ankara.

League of Nations formed but US Senate votes against joining it;

the (nominally) independent Kingdom of Egypt was created following the British government's issuance of the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.

the great Mustapha Kemal “Ataturk” who had defeated the Anzacs at Gallipoli in WWI, removing the caliph dynasty and abolishing the Ottoman dynasty, he proclaims Turkey a republic and begins reforms to westernise Turkey;

world war II:

Arab League founded to oppose creation of Jewish state;

British proposal to divide Palestine rejected by Arabs & Jews, & thus deferred to UN which announces plan for partition;

Iraq independence

Egypt independence with British forces withdrawing to the Suez Canal

Jewish state founded;

Egypt: anti-British riots erupt; Gen. Naguib seizes power, King Farouk abdicates in favour of his son. 1923 constitution abolished;

Israel & Germany agree on restitution for damages done to Jews by Nazis;

Saddam Hussein finally captured;

Bam earthquake in Iran kills over 40,000 

Israel invades Lebanon in retaliation for their harbouring of Hezbollah.