POST WW I NATIONALISM: MIDDLE EAST

MIDDLE EAST

The Ottoman Empire was one of the premier countries in the Middle East by the end of the 18th Century

However by the beginning of the 19th Century Ottoman power began to wane.

Ultamately in the beginning of the 20th centrury because of their involvement in WWI the Empire ultamately collapsed

BEGINNING OF THE END

1876: Ottoman reformers seize the government and adopted a constitution with idea of creating a Constitutional Monarchy

Abdulhamid II is appointed Sultan

As soon as taking the throne he suspends the constitution and ruled as an absolute monarch

BEGINNING OF THE END

Upset a group called the Young Turks began to protest

Forced Abdulhamid II to restore the constitution by 1908

By 1909 the deposed the Sultan

At the same time many ethnic turks pushed for independence

WWI

WWI

During WWI the Ottomans had killed or had been responsible for the deaths of nearly 1 million Christian Armenians

Armenia had sought independence but were brutally attacked and deported by the Ottomans.

The Allies denounced the genocide, but did nothing to prevent it.

A similar event happened in Bosnia in 1993 and 1996

AFTERMATH

After WWI Greece attacked Turkey

The newly formed Republic of Turkey placed Mustafa Kamul Ataturk in control of the defense

Under Ataturk Turkey was able to drive the Greeks back

MUSTAFA KEMUL ATATURK

After successfully fending off Greece, Ataturk is elected President

Ataturk tried, valiantly to modernize Turkey, beginning with a democratic form of government

However Ataturk did not allow opposition

ATATUTK’S REFORMS

Eliminated Arabic elements from the Turkish language

Adopted the Roman alphabet Forced his people to adopt last names Established factories and directed the

economy Tried to modernize farming, with little

effect

ATATURK’S SOCIAL REFORMS

Forbade men to wear the traditional fez

Forbade women from wearing the veil

Abolished the caliphate New laws gave women

equal marriage and inheritance rights

Women were allowed to vote

Turks were also allowed to join Non-Muslim religious groups

PERSIA/IRAN

The Qajar dynasty of Persia who had ruled Persia for 130 years was having difficulty with domestic problems

The Qajar had increasingly been turning to Russia and Britain to protect itself from its own people

BLACK GOLD, TEXAS T

In 1908 Oil is discovered in Southern Persia/Iran.

This is much to the delight of Britain and Russia and they created a bigger presence in the region

Foreign presence led to Persian Nationalist movements

PERSIA

1921: Reza Kahn leads a military mutiny against the Qajar dynasty.

Seized Tehran in 1925 and proclaimed himself Shah of Iran, taking the name Reza Shah Pahlavi

Tried to follow Ataturk’s example to modernize his nation

PAHLAVI’S REFORMS

Modernized the government, military and economy Renamed the country Iran Major difference between Ataturk and Pahlavi was

that Pahlavi did not try to separate church and state.

Encouraged western-style education and forbade women from wearing a veil in public.

To break free of British and Soviet influence, Iran grew closer to Nazi Germany. However during WWII Britain and the Soviet Union invaded forcing Pahlavi to resign,