History & Politics of the Middle East Final Exam

Ottomans & Arabs

Ottomans- Met their end by WW1

Arabs- Consist of Saudi and Saudi peninsula, were once a united kingdom, split up after WW1

Ottomans & WW1

- Were mixed regarding WW1

- Ottoman army officers had been trained in German military schools and were confident Germany would win the War

- Signed a secret agreement with Germany on Aug. 2, 1914

Ottoman-German alliance

- Allowed Germany control of the Ottoman navy directed against Russia

- Allowed Ottoman sovereignty to be reestablished and settle grudges with Russia

Sick Old Man of Europe

British nickname for the Ottoman Empire

October 11, 1914

- The Ottoman Empire joins forces with Germany

- Sultan Mohammed V announces a jihad against the Empire's enemies

The Young Turks

- Led a successful revolution in 1908 and were pro-German

Arab loyalty

- If Arabs allied with the British, they could attack through the Peninsula from Egypt

- If Arabs remained allied with Turkey, they could attack Egypt (British) through the Peninsula

Ottoman War Plan

1. Attack the Russians

2. Conquer Egypt

3. Take Iraq

Battle of Gallipoli

- The British struck first

- Planned by Churchill

- Turks were led by Mustapha Kemal

- Costly victory for the British

WW1 & Arabs

- Almost all Arab states were allied with the British

- The British controlled the Arab states through money and advising

Sharif Hussein of Mecca

- Wanted control of the Arab world

- Believed he was a descendent of Muhammad

October 29, 1916

Sharif Hussein declares himself the King of the Arabs

Abdullah

Sharif Hussein's first son

Faisal

- Sharif Hussein's second son

- Led the Arab delegation to the Paris Peace Conference

Sir Henry McMahon

British High Commissioner in Egypt & Sudan

General Allenby

Conquered Jerusalem in December, 1917

Allied victory

Failure of German-Turkic campaign allowed British in Egypt to move into Palestine

Arabs under Faisal

Constantly bombarded Turks in the Arab Revolution in June, 1916

Col. T. E. Lawrence

British liaison officer who worked with Faisal to capture positions in Syria

Battle of Megiddo

Battle at which Thutmose III attempted a risky night attack in Southern Syria against the threatening Mittani. He led his soldiers through a mountain pass by torchlight before surprising the sleeping Mittani army and laying siege to the city of Megiddo before eventually winning.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

- Secret agreement made between France and Britain in 1916

- Split up the Middle East into zones of control

- Made the Arabs mad

October 30, 1918

Ottoman Empire signs armistice

Muhammad VI

The last Ottoman Emperor

Arab Revolt

- Faisal worked with the Allies to conquer Syria

Faisal- Post war

- Made king of Greater Syria in 1920

- Deposed by France under Sykes-Picot

Abdullah- Post War

- Fought along with the British and received the Trans-Jordan

- Achieved Jordan independence in 1923

- Made King of Jordan

- Moderately pro-western

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

- Abdullah was assassinated on July 20, 1951 while visiting the Dome of the Rock

- Succeeded by his grandson Hussein

Ibn Saud

- Struggled with Hashemites

- Refused access to Mecca & Medina

- Exiled to Kuwait

- Recaptured Riyadh

Saud's conquest

Conquered the Arabian Peninsula by 1912

Who did the British favor?

Sharif Hussein of Mecca

Saud v. Hussein

1924-25, Saud defeats Hussein

- Proclaims himself king of Hejaz

- Changed the name of his kingdom to Saudi Arabia in 1932

Egyptian Nationalism

- Cotton prices increased in WW1, increasing Egyptian wealth

- Unequal distribution led to grievances

- Nationalism rose up

1922

British recognize Egypt's independence

- Britain retained control of the Suez Canal

Sultan Faud

First king of Egypt

Farouk

Sultan Faud's son

- Became king at 16

Nasser

- Overthrew Farouk

- Built the Aswan High Dam

Mustafa Kemal

- Elected president of Turkey post WW1

- Westernized Turkey

Sims belief on Kemal

he was an atheist

Ataturk

nickname given to Turkish president Kemal meaning "father Turk"

Italian Conquest of Egypt

- Advanced to Alexandria in Sept. 1940

- Rested

- Driven to Benghazi by the British

Irwin Rommel

"desert fox"; defeated at El Alamein led German forces in Northern Africa.

Battle of Al Alamein

- Essentially ended the war in North Africa

- British & American troops landed in Morocco and Algeria

- Drove the Germans back

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Led American attack in North Africa

Independence of Syria & Lebanon

- Controlled by France between Wars

- Helped France retake the region

- Awarded independence

Vichy French Government

German sympathizers in France

- Came to control Lebanon & Syria

Charles de Gaulle

- Began to retake Lebanon & Syria in 1941

- Aided by locals

Reza Shah

- Controlled Iran at the start of WW2

- Had ties with Germany

- Anti-Russian, Anti-British

Russia in Iran

- Strong military presence in Iran after worrying about German coup d'état

Great Britain in Iran

- Sought control of Iranian oil fields

- Occupied Iran with Russia on Aug. 25, 1941

Why was Iran volatile after WW2

Because Britain and Russia removed their leader and left a power struggle

Tripartite treaty

- Signed by Iran, Russia, and Britain

- Iran did not recognize Russia and Britain as occupying forces

- Britain and Russia recognized Iranian independence

1946

The year occupying forces were supposed to leave Iran

- Russia stayed

May 6, 1946

Russia withdraws from Iran due to INTL pressure

Partition of Palestine

- Feb. 1947

- Britain referred to the U.N.

- UNSCOP proposed 3 sections for Jews and 3 for Arabs

- Jerusalem & Bethlehem were internationalized

Middle East in 2021

- Abraham Accords

- Iranian-Saudi Proxy wars

- Israeli Elections

Abraham Accords

- Treaties between Israel, UAE, Bahrain, and U.S.

- Establishes: Diplomatic relations, exchange of ambassadors, trade relations

Iranian-Saudi Proxy Wars

- The "Middle Eastern Cold War

- Supporting opposing sides:

- Syria

- Yemen

Knesset

Israeli parliament

1948 War

- U.N. partition sparked civil war in Palestine

- Began on May 15

- Arab states tried to push Israel into the Mediterranean, but failed

President Truman

Recognized Israel's sovereignty within minutes of its establishment

David Ben-Gurion

First Prime Minister of Israel

The State of Israel

Prime minister, president, and parliament

Arab-Israeli Wars

- 1956 War (Egypt & Israel)

- 6 Day War (1967)

- Yom Kippur/Ramadan War (1973)

1956 War (Egypt & Israel)

- Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and refused Israel access

- Began a war

- President Truman urged Britain not to send troops

6 Day War (1967)

- June 5-10

- Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, central Palestine, and the Golan Heights

- Instigated by Israel as a preemptive strike against the Arabs

Yom Kippur/Ramadan War (1973)

- October 6

- Both countries wanted to recover lost territory from 1967 War