Aftermath of WWI

The Rise of Nationalism

Nationalism in the Middle East

Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire had been steadily growing weaker in the 19th century, with the lost of territories like Greece and Egypt

• After Ottoman Empire allied with the Central Powers, the British tried to undermine them by encouraging Arab nationalism

• T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) supported Arab independence

• Ottoman Empire eventually made peace with the Allies in October 1918, after 300,000 deaths

Armenian Genocide• Ottoman Turks alienated the Allies

with the oppressive policies towards minorities, especially Armenians

• 1915 Ottoman Empire accused Armenians of supporting the Russians and used the allegations to kill and exile all Armenians

• Within 7 months, 600,000 Armenians were killed; 500,000 were deported 400,000 of the deportees died marching through the deserts and swamps of Syria

• Genocide deliberate mass murder of a particular racial, political, or cultural group– Later became known as ethnic

cleansing

The Turkish Republic

• After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain made plans to divide up the empire– Only Turkey remained under Ottoman

control

• Greece invaded Turkey and seized parts of the Anatolian Peninsula

• Colonel Mustafa Kemel summoned a national Congress which called for the creation of an elected government and a republic of Turkey

• 1923 last Ottoman sultan fled the nation and Turkey officially became a republic

Middle East Changes• Modernization of Turkey President

Kemel became known as Atatürk (father turk)– Eliminated Arab elements from Turkish

language, citizens had to adopt a last name, established factories using a five-year plan, tried to break from Islam by turning Turkey into a secular state

• Beginnings of a modern Iran– Growing foreign influence led to a

Persian nationalist movement– 1921 Reza Khan established himself

as shah (king), became known as Reza Shah Pahlavi

– Introduced reforms into Persia to modernize the military, government, and economic system

– Nation became known as Iran in 1935

Arab Nationalism

• Arabs, although united by a similar language and heritage, were not a nation

• Mandate system following WWI led to foreign rule over Arab states of Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon

• Ibn Saud reform leader that united Arabs in the northern part of Arabian Peninsula– Established Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

in 1932

• Discovery of oil soon made the new nation wealthy

Problem of Palestine• Jews were forced out of

Palestine in the 1st century CE• Muslim Arabs made up 80% of

population• Since 1890s, Zionist movement

wanted Palestine to be the home of the Jews, as the ancient state of Israel was there

• Balfour Declaration Issued by the British; expressed support for a national home for the Jews in Palestine– Jews began to flee to Palestine,

causing tension between them and the Arab population

Nationalism in Africa and Asia

African Independence Movements• Which the education

received by missionaries and knowledge learned during WWI, Africans began to protest against European colonial rule

• Nigeria king of Lagos and educated Africans wanted a democratic government

• Kenya Issues concerned the redistribution of land– Kikuyu (protest group) on

intent on blocking further land confiscation

• Libya Omar Mukhtar used Guerilla forces to wage war against the Italians

New Leaders• Influenced by the ideas of

Americans W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey

• Du Bois encouraged the awareness of cultural heritage and Garvey stressed the importance of Pan-Africanism (unity of all Africans)

• Jomo Kenyatta argued that British rule was destroying the traditional culture of the peoples of Africa

• Léopold Senghor organized an independence movement in Senegal

• Nnamdi Azikiwe, of Nigeria, urged non-violence for independence

Revolution in Asia

• Lenin spread the words of Karl Marx throughout Asia using the Communist International, Comintern

• In French Indochina, Communist parties worked with the Nationalist parties to get rid of European rule

• Ho Chi Minh organized the Vietnamese Communists in the 1920s

• Communist parties also formed in China

Indian Independence

• Mohandas Gandhi was active in the Indian National Congress and the movement towards independence before WWI– Became known as

Mahatma, or “Great Soul”• Gandhi left South Africa

in 1914 and returned to India

• Used civil disobedience refusal to obey laws considered to be unjust

Amritsar Massacre

• A group of over one thousand Indians gathered in Amritsar of a peaceful protest of British rule on April 13, 1919

• 50 Indian Army soldiers, led by General Dyer, opened fire on the unarmed Indians

• The Indians could not escape from the shooting, so men, women, and children were all killed

• An estimated 400 were killed and 1,100 were injured

Push for Independence• 1935 Government of India

Act, a British act that allowed for more Indians in government

• Motilal Nehru, leader of the Indian National Congress (INC) wanted full independence

• Gandhi practiced non-violence to gain independence– “Don’t pay your taxes or send your

children to a British supported school… make your own cotton cloth by spinning the thread at home, and don’t buy English-made goods. Provide yourself with home-made salt and do not buy government-made salt”

Salt March• British had increased the

salt tax and prohibited the Indians from manufacturing or harvesting their own salt

• 1930 Gandhi organized followers to march from Ahmedabad to Dandi

• It took 24 days and lasted for 240 miles

• Gandhi was arrested at the Dharasana Salt Works for producing salt and breaking the law

New Leaders and Problems• Jawaharlal Nehru began leader of the INC

in the 1930s• Indian independence movement split into

two paths one following Gandhi (religious, traditional, and Indian), on following Nehru (secular, modern, and western)

• Hostility between Hindus and Muslims was growing

• Muslims were dissatisfied with the Hindu dominance of the INC

• Muslim League, led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, believed in the creation of a separate Muslim state in Pakistan

• Hostility eventually led to the assassination of Gandhi by a Hindu nationalist who believed Gandhi was weakening India by giving into Muslim demands

Militarist Japan• Zaibatsu Economy various

manufacturing processes were concentrated within a single large financial and industrial corporation

• By 1937, four large zaibatsu controlled almost all of the banking, mining, shipbuilding, and paper manufacturing in Japan

• This led to economic inequalities• Inflation in food prices and rapid

population increases after WWI led to food shortages

• Hardships led to a call for a return to traditional Japanese values

Japan and the West• In the early 20th century, Japan

had difficulty finding sources of raw materials and foreign markets

• Before WWI, it used to seize territories like Taiwan, Korea, and Manchuria

• 1922 United States held a major conference of nations with interests in the Pacific – Resulted in a nine-power treaty

which recognized territorial integrity of China and the maintenance of the Open Door Policy; Japan agreed as long as they maintained southern Manchuria

Rise of Militarism• By the end of the 1920s, a

militant group within the ruling party gained control of the political system

• Made up of civilians who were convinced that the Western ideas had corrupted the parliamentary system and others were military members angered by the cuts in military spending and the government’s pacifism

Rise of Militarism• Civilians began to form extremist

patriotic organizations, like the Black Dragon Society

• A group of middle-level army officers invaded Manchuria in 1931– Japanese government opposed the

conquest• Emperor Hirohito put Japan on

wartime status and a military draft law was passed in 1938

• Political parties were all merged into Imperial Rule Assistance Association

• Education and culture were purged of all western ideas and militant leaders stressed Japanese traditions

Revolutionary Chaos in China