Britain
 France
 Austria-Hungary
 Iraq
 Syria
 Jordan

The U.S.
 Israel
 Lebanon
 Germany
 Russia





Was ruled by Muslim sultans in Constantinople1
since 1299
Spanned north east Europe, Africa, and the Middle
East
Was divided into separate countries by Britain and
France
Home to many religious groups2
1Now
called Istanbul
2Turks, Arabs, Kurds,
Muslims, Christians,
and Jews
Britain and France divided the Ottoman Empire
› They drew the boundaries of Iraq, Syria, Jordan,
Israel, and Lebanon
› While doing this, they paid little attention to
religious differences
 This carelessness caused World War I ninety
years later
 Europe pitted Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S.
against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire




Made conflicting commitments during the war
› Promised Arabs independence
Declared the Balfour Declaration
› To support a “national home for the Jewish
people”4
Made a secret agreement with France to take
chunks of land out of the Ottoman Territory
between them
4Palestine


Won World War I in 1918, after piece talks in
Versailles
Disagreed on the appearance of the postwar.
› They argued on how to punish Germany,
› And about what will happen to the Ottoman
Empire
3Britain,
France, The
U.S., and Russia
1992 was the end of the peace conferences
› Britain and France received “mandates” from
the League of nations
 Created states and figureheads in the Ottoman
Territory between them

In 1919, there were no Iraqi people; history,
geography, and religion pulled them apart
› The Shiite and Sunni groups split centuries earlier
over who would succeed Muhammad5
 Britain created Iraq in Mesopotamia,

› And made Ottoman provinces
 Baghdad6
 Basra7
 Mosul8
5Islam’s
6Sunni
7Shiite
8Kurdish
former leader
Kings and dictators ruled autocratically and kept
Iraq together for more that eighty years
 In 1921, the British installed Ferisal, son of the ruler of
Mecca,9 as king
› In 1958, the monarchy was overthrown
 In 1968, the Baath Party seized control and
powered Suddam Hussein10
 Secretarial violence took Iraq to the brink of civil
war

9British
ally during the war
10Toppled by the U.S. in 2003

Britain made a mandate including Israel, Jordan,
the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip
› In 1921, Britain made Abdullah11 king of
Transjordan
› In 1926, Jordan was declared independence
› Abdullah was assassinated In 1951
11Ferisal’s
brother

Made Jewish and Palestinian states out of land
between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea
in 1947
› Jewish leaders accepted this
› Arab states, however, rejected and attacked
Israel12
 This led to many individual wars
12After
the British
left in May 1948


In 1920, Syria was a protectorate of France
› France safely guarded Christian enclaves,
› And used Lebanon as Syria’s coastal region
Lebanon gained independence in 1943


Was a district of Basra under the Ottomans
› Which meant that it was overseen by Britain
It was granted independence in 1691
› Which meant that it was no longer overseen
Fromkin, David. "HOW THE MODERN MIDDLE
EAST MAP CAME TO BE DRAWN." Christian
Action for Israel. Fall 1990. Web. 17 Mar.
2011.
<http://christianactionforisrael.org/isreport/
midesmap.html>.
 Mayzel, Matitiahu. "How Did Israel Get Its
Current Borders?" Middle East Facts - Israel
and "Palestine" 13 May 2002. Web. 17 Mar.
2011.
<http://middleeastfacts.com/Articles/howdid-israel-get-its-current-borders.php>.



Roberts, Sam. "How the Middle East Got That
Way." Teaching Resources, Children's Book
Recommendations, and Student Activities |
Scholastic.com. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
<http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews
/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp?article=f0
11507_TP_mideast>.
Trueman, Chris. "The United Nations and the
Middle East." History Learning Site. Winter 2010.
Web. 17 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/united_n
ations_middle_east.htm>.