Central and Southwest Asia

SW Asia and North Africa

Today's Topic

• Political patterns in Southwest Asia/North Africa have changed several times with the redrawing of boundaries following World War 1 and the formation of Israel after World War 2.  

• Essential Questions- Why were new borders created in Southwest Asia following the First World War?

• What cultural problems were created when new boundaries were created in Southwest Asia?

Empire

An extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority

More Important Vocab

• Partitioning the action or state of dividing land into parts

• Regional Conflict – disagreement between regions or countries that can heighten with time

• Artificial Political Boundaries – a boundary made by humans to divide the land into regions, countries, and areas

Ottoman Empire

At one time in history, a large empire known as the Ottoman Empire stretched across Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia.

•Osman became ruler of the Kingdom after defeating Turkish tribes and created the Ottoman Empire

•The Ottoman Empire quickly spread and became the largest and longest empire to rule in the Islamic world (13th century)

•Istanbul, the capital city, was one of the most powerful states in the world.

•The Ottomans controlled most of the Middle East

Why?

Desiring immediate control of the area and looking for future oil profits, Britain and France established borders that did not exist previously.

Multiple Choice

Britain and France, when partitioning the old Ottoman Empire, cared most about:

• Making money from oil

• Preventing conflict

• Profiting from water

The fall of the Ottoman Empire

When the Ottoman Empire reached it’s height, other empires attack the Ottomans and/or conflict arises within the Empire

Fighting causes the Empire to loose land

1.The Empire was too large

2.  Advancements in technology

3.  Weak leadership

During World War I

•What was left of the Ottoman Empire entered WWI on the Central Powers side (Austrian-Hungarian Empire & Germany)

•Joining the Central Powers was a bad idea!

•Motive was to regain some of the land they lost

Collapse

The Ottoman Empire ended up on the losing side of World War I and the empire collapsed.

The collapse created a lack of central authority (government/leaders) in the region. European countries stepped in to establish order in the region.

Effects of European Partitioning

• Borders that had been fluid over many centuries were now tightly defined

• None of the countries wanted Europe in charge of them

• The stage was set for big problems in the years ahead

• The conflicts created during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire still cause trouble today

Multiple Choice

Partitioning means:

• Giving something to somebody

• Walking your cat

• Dividing into parts

• Selling oil for profit

All of this led to....

•Partitioning (dividing) the land led to creating artificial political boundaries

•Blends of groups that do not get along were forced to be together

•Causes regional conflict between different countries and groups of people

Results of WWI & Partitioning

•Land that was under the control of the Ottoman’s was given to France and United Kingdom

•

•British and French partitioned (divided) the Middle East in to countries

•

•Ottomans were left with little land, located in modern day Turkey

Quick Overview!!!

Fall of the Ottoman Empire

•Numerous wars caused the empire to become financially bankrupt

•The empire became known as the “Sick man of Europe” (weak)

•On the losing side of WWI with Germany and Italy

European Partitioning

•British and French partitioned (divided) the Middle East into countries;

•THIS CREATES ARTIFICIAL POLITICAL BORDERS 

•DID NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE NATURAL DIVISIONS IN THE REGION – BLENDED GROUPS

•Led to regional conflicts within the region 

Multiple Choice

The Ottoman Empire, at its height, controlled land in:

• Europe, Africa, and South America
• Europe, Asia, and Australia
• Europe, Africa, and North America
• Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia

Multiple Choice

What was one of the main causes of why the Ottoman Empire to fall?

• World War 1

• the Cold War

• there wasn't enough gold