The most flagrant attempt to expand Western imperialism occurred in the Middle East, or, more accurately, in southwest Asia — the vast expanse that stretches eastward from the Suez Canal and Turkey’s Mediterranean shores across the Tigris-Euphrates Valley and the Persian (Iranian) Plateau to the Arabian Sea and the Indus Valley (Map 29.1). There the British and the French successfully encouraged an Arab revolt in 1916 and destroyed the Ottoman Empire. Europeans then sought to replace Turks as principal rulers throughout the region, even in Turkey itself. Turkish, Arab, and Persian nationalists, as well as Jewish nationalists arriving from Europe, reacted violently. They struggled to win dignity and nationhood, and as the Europeans were forced to make concessions, they sometimes came into sharp conflict with each other, most notably in Palestine.
Mapping the PastMAP 29.1 The Partition of the Ottoman Empire, 1914–1923 By 1914 the Ottoman Turks had been pushed out of the Balkans, and their Arab provinces were on the edge of revolt. That revolt erupted in the First World War and contributed greatly to the Ottomans’ defeat. When the Allies then attempted to implement their plans, including independence for the Armenian people, Mustafa Kemal arose to forge in battle the modern Turkish state.ANALYZING THE MAP What new countries were established as a result of the partition of the Ottoman Empire? Where were mandates established? What might you conclude about European views of the Middle East based on how Europe divided up the region?CONNECTIONS How might the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I have contributed to the current situation in the Middle East?