Download Outline 17 Independence and the End of Empire

HIST 1301: History of the Arab World
Lecture Outline 17: Independence and the End of Empires
KEY TERMS
Allied invasion of North
Africa (1943)
Free Officers
Habib Bourguiba
Arab League
Suez Crisis (1956)
King Mohamed V
UN Partition Plan for Palestine
Baghdad Pact
Algerian War
1. World War II and the Arab World
• Fall of France to Nazi Germany (1940); Vichy France control of Maghrib and other
colonies
• British mobilization and strategic and importance of Egypt and the Suez Canal
Military Base in movement of troops from Australia, New Zealand, India; importance
of Iraq and Iran and oil; Iraqi revolt (1940-41) with some German backing, British
invasion of Iraq
• Battle for North Africa, Italian advances against Egypt then defeats, German
reinforcement and battle for North Africa, Allied invasion of North Africa (1942) as
American troops land in Morocco (Casablanca Conference 1943) and advance east
pushing Germans toward Tunisia, British advance west from Egypt, Germans
withdraw to Italy in 1943
• Arab League formed with British backing (1945)
• Lebanon (1945) and Syria (1946) gain independence
• AFTER WAR: British position seemed strengthened as they controlled most of the
region, including Libya after defeating Italians. French were weakened by losses to
Germany and Vichy’s defeat by allies, lost Syria/Lebanon and tightened control of
Maghrib
2. Palestine after WWII
• Jewish immigration decreased during war, then increased as refugees surviving the
Holocaust are smuggled despite British attempts to prevent
• US pressured for more Jewish immigration, tensions increased between Palestinian
and Jewish groups
• British turned situation over to UN; Partition Plan in 1947, divide between two groups
(accepted by Jewish leadership and rejected by Palestinians); British withdraw in
1948; State of Israel declared May 14th; 1948 war between Israel and Egypt, Syria,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq results in larger territory for state of Israel, huge refugee
population of Palestinians
3. British Controlled Middle East after WWII
• Egypt: British sought to maintain control over Suez Zone, tension over continued role,
1952 Free Officers coup overthrew King Farouk, Gamal Abd al-Nasser took power
HIST 1301: History of the Arab World
and asserted Egypt’s position as leader of non-aligned movement; Sudan
independence negotiated 1953, British troops withdrawn in 1954
• Suez Crisis: Nasser reacted to US cancellation of aid for construction of High Dam at
Aswan by nationalizing the Suez Canal and turning to USSR for aid; British, French,
and Israel agreed to secret plan where Israel invaded Sinai and British/French forces
landed in Canal Zone in order to “establish order;” US and USSR pressured them to
cease and withdraw; humiliated former imperial powers; strengthened Nasser’s
position as leader of the Arab world and stature as leader of non-aligned movement
• Iraq: 1955 joined Baghdad Pact, western alliance in Cold War against the USSR;
Husayn dynasty overthrown by coup in 1958, creation of republic
• Jordan: population swelled by Palestinian refugees after 1948 war; 1951 Abduallah
assassinated by al-Aqsa mosque by Palestinian; 1957 British military withdrew from
Jordan
4. French Controlled North Africa
• Morocco: growing nationalist resistance in late 1940s and the early 1950s, King
Mohamed V forced to abdicate in 1953; huge demonstrations in support of King; with
growing Algerian crisis, French bring him back and agree to independence which
begins in 1956 including French and Spanish zones of control and Tangier
• Tunisia: nationalist movement led by Bourguiba pressures French, independence
granted in 1956
• Algeria: 1954 Front Liberation National (FLN) created, rural and urban resistance;
French use military force and try to reform to reduce tensions; colon population
pressures Paris for more intervention; Battle of Algiers; 1958 Fourth Republic is
overthrown and Charles de Gualle called to create Fifth Republic; negotiations with
FLN beginning in 1960; independence in 1962