Origins of the Modern Middle East Conflict and Change

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Historical events, through conflict and change, have shaped the governments, nations, economies, and culture in Southern and Western Asia.

Southwest Asia, which is also known as the Middle East, is the birthplace of three of the world’s major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three religions share the common patriarch, Abraham, who taught the people to believe in and worship one God. Although all three religions have similarities, their differences have caused and continue to cause conflict and change. This module will explore particular time periods of conflict and change spanning from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to European partitioning.

The history of the Middle East is filled with victors and losers. Islam was the youngest of the three monotheistic religions to come out of the Middle East. It spread like wildfire and led to the birth of vast Muslim trading empires throughout the region. The Middle East's location at the crossroads of three continents helped in the spread of Islam but also resulted in its desirability as a place to be conquered by outsiders. Beginning in 1096 AD, European Christians started invading the Middle East in order to take their holiest sites out of Muslim hands, but also to partake in the riches that could be had by whoever controlled the trade routes between the three continents.

The Crusaders

The Crusaders, as these Christians became known, were interested in taking over the regions that now makeup Israel, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. After three years, they were in control of Jerusalem. Over the years, neighboring Muslim rulers fought with the Christian conquerors of the land along the Mediterranean Sea inspiring several waves of Crusades. In 1187, the powerful Muslim ruler, Saladin, took back Jerusalem causing the famous Crusade launched by Richard I. Back and forth these wars went on between the European Crusaders and the Middle Eastern Muslims until 1291 when the locals emerged victoriously.

Around the same time that the Crusades ended, Osman I became the sultan of a small area on the Anatolian plateau. His holdings grew, and within a century the Ottoman Empire was born with its capital in Constantinople. By the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire was reaching its peak and took over all of the Middle East and parts of Europe. Suleiman, I ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until his death in 1566 and was known as "the Lawgiver" (by Muslims) or "the Magnificent" (by Christians). He reformed his empire's laws and developed a judicial system, making his Empire the strongest in the Middle East and Europe. In reaching its peak, there was nowhere to go but down. The Ottoman Empire lasted until the end of World War I. Having sided with the losing countries of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was forced to give up what was left of its Empire in the peace treaty.

Image of the Paris Peace Conference which officially ended WWI. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Ottoman Empire

At the end of World War I, the victors had to decide what to do with the lands taken from the Ottoman Empire. The leaders of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy met in Versailles, France to partition the Middle East. Relying on their own experts and desires, these leaders divided the Middle East into mandates. The Turks eventually came to control what is now called Turkey, but most of the Middle East came under the rule of either the French (in Syria and Lebanon) or the British (in Mesopotamia and Palestine). After centuries of controlling their own destinies, the Muslims of the Middle East was back under the control of European Christians. Unfortunately, when divvying up the region, the Europeans did not pay a lot of attention to who already lived where. In the process of redrawing the map, communities were split apart. In some cases, tribes were torn apart; in other cases, two communities that had never gotten along were forced to merge. Culturally and politically speaking, the new map was a recipe for disaster.

Zionism:

Zionism is the Jewish Nationalist Movement that focused on the need for a Jewish state within the lands of Palestine, the original homeland of the Jews. The Zionism movement began prior to World War One, but after World War II and the mass execution of the Jews in the Holocaust, the movement gained momentum. Many Jews wanted to leave Europe following the Holocaust. The United Nations-supported the creation of Israel and thus began political and religious tensions between the Jewish state of Israel and the Arab Nations.

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Challenge

Take Away

The Ottoman Empire ruled the Middle East for more than 600 years. By siding with the Central Powers in World War I, they sealed the fate of their already declining empire. When the war ended, Europe, or more specifically, Britain and France took control of dividing the Middle Eastern territories. They created countries without considering the religions and cultures of the locations. The Middle East continues to struggle with unification and peace today and these conflicts can be traced back to the Post World War I years.

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