Modern Middle East

Question: Did World War I mark the end of an era in Middle Eastern history? Why or why not? Answer: First World War saw the end of Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Empire was one of the premier power focal points in that time. The kings of Istanbul and Syria were the key decision-makers in the Arab region. Post world war created dependent states in Arab region of the Ottoman territories because of western imperialism. The involvement of empires in the war and all the Arab nations entered the war pitted against the British, French and Russians. Arab people had lived under Turkish domination for nearly five hundred years. Nevertheless, at the time of war German armies were taking the charge of Ottoman troops. This misled the Ottomans and particularly the Arabs who were religious more than any Nationals were. The ceasefire saw endless bloodshed of Arab East. The conflict had further led to a split between Sunnis and Shiites of Arab (Gee, 2014). The war changed an entire era of Middle Eastern history. A large number of people shifted to military service and this lead to a civil oriented government in that region. It also recognized the women rights and initiated the practice of divorce in the ground of polygamy. The Muslim sovereignty was interrupted and warned the Muslims. They said they would face extinction if they did not unite. Sharif Hussein declared his rebellion against Ottoman Empire in early 1916. He sent out ten letters to the Arab empires and wished to create a new united Arab kingdom. The response proved a failure and only a few tribal groups supported Sharif Hussein, but absolutely no Arabs flocked to Hussein's side. Hussein only wanted to be a leader of greater Arab region free of Ottoman Empire. In the proceeding of war, British forces captured Jerusalem and Ottoman residents collapsed. British promised to Hussein of favoring him of forming Arab kingdom, but the promise fell short. After the World War I the B ritish promise was not applied. Hussein again announced himself the Caliph of Arab territory but like an early decade, no one took his pretensions seriously. It can be concluded that Arab revolt was a major event in Middle Eastern history. It symbolically ended the century-long Ottoman domination. It practically helped in the rise of European imperialism instead of a cause of disagreement between Arab and the Turkish Muslims (Brennan, 2014). References: Brennan, K. (2014).The First World War and the End of the Ottoman Order. Mason Crest. Gee, J. (2014). The Ottoman Empire and World War I: It Could All Have Been Very Different...The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs,33(7), 24.