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WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE BORDERS?
Border Changes In the
Middle East Because of
World War I
By: Emily Kenward Period 9
How it All Began
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Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of World War I after six
hundred years
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The empire was divided into Turkey and a number of smaller
countries
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Ottoman Empire called for a military jihad against Great
Britain and France in November 1914
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Ottoman Empire’s WWI allies: Germany and Austria-Hungry
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Ottoman Empire’s WWI enemies: Britain, France, Russia, and
the United States

British and French wanted to control Middle East oil
Ottoman (left) and British (right) flags
Background Information

Ottoman/Turkish Empire had 600,000 troops divided into 38
divisions

Weren’t a serious threat to Europe until they became allies
with Germany
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London took action and sent forces to protect the AngloPersian oil pipeline at the beginning of WWI
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The pipeline was very important to the British
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The title of “winner” kept going back and forth between the
two sides as the war dragged on
Ottoman/Turkish troops (top) and
European troops (left)
The Conflict Continues

The British and French tried to capture Constantinople but
failed

British, French, Australian and New Zealand forces attacked
Gallipoli, Turkey in April 1915
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The Ottoman army stopped them and forced the allies to
abandon their position in December 1915
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205,000 British solders and 47,000 French solders were
killed, wounded, or sick

Ottoman Empire had the upper hand during the early part of
the war
Battle map of the battle in Gallipoli, Turkey
Soldier mourning a fallen comrade
defeating the Ottomans
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Ottoman’s failed to capture Gaza
British and French had advantages over the Ottoman’s in
manpower, artillery, airpower, and self-esteem
Germany began to crumble from within
Arabs assisted the British and French by attacking
Ottoman/Turkish positions
British and French captured 75,000 Turkish prisoners while
advancing hundreds of miles across the Middle East
British troops charging at the enemy (left)
Ottoman Empire (top)
4 Years Later...

World War One lasted from 1914-1918

Final European armies pushed towards the German border on
October 17, 1918

British, French, and American armies advanced causing the
alliance between the Central Powers (Ottoman Empire,
German Empire, Austria-Hungry Empire, and the Kingdom of
Bulgaria) to collapse

Turkey signed an armistice at the end of October

Austria-Hungry followed on November 3

Peace Treaty was signed in 1919
American
newspapers
reporting on the end
of the war
The Aftermath

War ended with British armies in the territory now known as
Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon

Ottoman Empire was destroyed

Russia was paralyzed by foreign interference and civil war

Britain had so much military success that it became the
leading power in the broken Middle East

The two sides set up a peace conference

Britain and France were ordered by the League of Nations to
create new states and make leaders for each place
World War I
winner’s medal
Changing the Middle East
Iraq
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Issues of conflict for the Iraqi people: history, religion, and
geography
Britain grouped Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul together to create the
new Iraq
Old Government= self run by kings and dictators
New government= Britain made one of the ally leaders king
He later was overthrown by the Iraqi people who brought Saddam
Hussein to power (U.S overthrew him in 2003)
Now= without leader they are close to having a civil war
Changing the Middle East
Israel
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Britain had an agreement with the Jews to give them their
own country
Because the Ottomans were defeated the Jews had a greater
chance of getting their own land
Arab leaders opposed to creating a Jewish homeland
1947: United Nations gave the Jews a sliver of land in
between the Jordan river and Mediterranean sea
1967 Six Day War: Israel won and gained control of the West
Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and Jerusalem
Changing the Middle East
Kuwait
Under the Ottomans as a district
of Basra
 Gained independence in 1961
 Saddam Hussein invaded in 1990

Syria
Protectorate (a state that is under
temporary control by a bigger
place) of France
 Protected Christian enclaves (a
special portion of a territory
reserved for a group of people)
that the Ottoman Empire set-up

Changing the Middle East
Lebanon
Gained independence in 1943
 Was involved in a 15 year civil war between the Muslims
and Christians
 Asked Syria to help control the chaos
 Syrian troops came and helped
 After the civil war was over they refused to leave until
2005
 They left because people thought that the Syrians
assassinated the former Lebanese Prime Minister

Effects on the Middle East
Geography
Changed
Religion
British
the political geography of the
region
and French did not take into
consideration the religion of each territory
Many
Political map of
the Middle East
conflicts started because of this
Violence
Jewish, Christian, Buddhist,
and Muslim religious
symbols
triggered by some groups
declaring military jihad (holy war) against
Israel and Westerners
Natural
Resources
British
and French gained the natural
resources they wanted (oil) when they took
over the Middle East
World War I
Borders
A barrel of oil
were changed because of WWI
A recruiting poster
for the U.S. Army
What’s GoinG on today?
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Britain and France didn’t care about the cultural differences
of the people while making the borders
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All they cared about was staying in power as long as they
could and where they could find the most oil to make money
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Because of this, the Middle East has the most troubled
borders in the world
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Historians think that if the borders had never changed, there
would be peace in the Middle East

Today in the news: different Middle Eastern countries are
overthrowing their leaders because they have different views
Political cartoon of
the conflicts
between Israel and
Palestine
Camel and his
keeper in Dubai
References
"The Concept of Jihad in Islam." ReligiousTolerance.org by the
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance, 28 Mar. 2003. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_jihad.htm>.
"Global Connections . Mapping the Middle East | PBS." PBS: Public
Broadcasting Service. Web. 4 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/educators/
nations/lesson1.html>.
"Imperial History of the Middle East." Maps of War ::: Visual History
of War, Religion, and Government. Maps of War. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
<http://mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html>.
Peters, Ralph. "Blood Borders - June 2006 - Armed Forces Journal Military Strategy, Global Defense Strategy." ARMED FORCES
JOURNAL. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2006/06/1833899>.
References Continued
Roberts, Sam. "How the Middle East Got That Way."
Scholastic/Upfront. The New York Times. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Serpone, Fernando. "Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan Appear after
World War I." Folha Online. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.
<http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/mundo/ult94u466301.s
html>.
Shuster, Mike. "The Middle East and the West: WWI and Beyond
: NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World,
US, Music & Arts : NPR. 20 Aug. 2004. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=386
0950>.
Woodward, Professor David R. "BBC - History - World Wars: The
Middle East during World War One." BBC - Homepage. BBC,
17 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/middle_ea
st_01.shtml>.
The End