Creating the Modern Middle East

Creating the Modern Middle East

Diverse Peoples When the followers of Muhammad swept out of the Arabian Peninsula in the the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Persia in the mid-600`s they encountered a mosaic of cultures. Most conquered people adopted the Islamic religion an the Arabic Language. Others mainly Christians and Jews continued to practice their own religion in peace For 150 years Islam ruled the region.

Diverse Peoples cont. But in the beginning of the tenth century (900s) the Arabs could no longer control their huge empire. Then the Turkish conquered most of the Middle East. Adopting to the religion if Islam, they ruled the region for more than 400 years. Then the Turkish lost control to the Last Great Empire Builders The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire through out the Years

Flag of the Ottoman Empire

The fall of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire started collapsing during the mid to late 1600`s. The Ottoman leaders or sultans were not strong enough to maintain control of the vast empire. In the mid-1800`s it was referred to as The sick man of Europe

World War I The downfall of the Ottoman Empire In 1914 World War I broke out. The Ottoman Empire Joined what turned out to be the losing side of the war. After the war ended and The Ottoman Empire was defeated Great Britain and France divided the land of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain got Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq France got Syria and Lebanon.

Other Results for the Ottoman Empire The Arab nation was given its own region of complete control that is now the countries of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Ottoman Empire was reduced to what is no the country of Turkey.

Arabs and Jews

A contested homeland By the mid 1940`s Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon had been established as independent nations. The problem with creating an independent Palestine was that two different groups claimed the region as their homeland. The Arabs had lived in Palestine for centuries. The Jews ancestors had migrated to he region as early as 1900 b.c.e.

Jewish Persecution and Migration Facing persecution across most of Europe Jews started migrating back to the country of Palestine in the late 1800`s. Some of these migrants called themselves Zionists named after the hill in Jerusalem to which Jews always prayed to return. The First group of Zionists arrived in Palestine in 1882. By the year 1914, 85,000 Jews had migrated to Palestine.

Two People, One Homeland The Zionist put increasing pressure on Great Britain and other European nations to support their plan for an independent Jewish nation. In 1917 the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration. The declaration stated that Britain would support the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. This declaration deeply angered the Palestinians that lived in the region.

World War II In the early 1930`s Hitler took control of Germany and Nazi Germany began persecuting the Jews. By 1939 445,000 Jews were living in Palestine. After tensions mounted between the Palestinians and Jews, Great Britain was forced to limit Jewish immigration to the region.

The Creation of Israel World War II ended in 1945. In 1947 Great Britain pulled out of Palestine and turned over the problem of what to do with a Jewish homeland to the United Nations. After months of debate, the committee recommended the Palestine be partitioned into two states, One Arab and one Jewish.

The U.N. Plan of Separation The U.N.`s plan was to create two separate nations within the current country of Palestine. Jerusalem would be designated as an international city. The Arabs were furious because the Jewish state would include most of the coast line and more than half of the land of the country.

The Beginning of a On Going Conflict Arab leaders warned the dividing Palestine would result in war. Nevertheless, the United Nations Voted to Approve the partition of Palestine. In May of 1948, David Ben-Gurion announced the independent nation of Israel. In a matter of hours, several neighboring Arab nations attacked Israel. The Nations of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan were involved in the conflict.

The Results of the Invasion