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MIDDLE EAST > Great Powers in the Middle East 1909-39 > Flashcards

Great Powers in the Middle East 1909-39 Flashcards

1
Q

What was Iran’s previous name?

A

Persia

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2
Q

Name the 8 underlying issues in the Middle East

A

Religious conflict (Christianity, Islam, Judaism)
Cultural and ethnic divisions
Power vacuum created by break up of Empires (Ottoman, Britain, France)
Sectarian devisions (Sunni and Shi’ite)
Failure of liberal democracy and rule of dictators
Creation of Israel in 1947
Suez Canal and Oil
Intervention by USSR, US and Europe

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3
Q

What were Britain’s 2 overriding aims in the Middle East

A

Protect the canal - transport of Indian troops to Europe and for trade

Protect the Persian Gulf - source of oil on which the ships of British navy were increasingly dependent

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4
Q

What was the Middle East like before WW1? - 6 things

A

Largely controlled by Ottoman Empire (Islamic not Arab)

Large British interests - Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen

British and French control of Suez Canal

Persia (Iran) independent but influenced by Britain and Russia

Germany had built the Bhagdad railway - trying to gain influence

Jews looking for a homeland in Palestine

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5
Q

When was Israel created?

A

1948

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6
Q

What was Israel called before 1948?

A

Palestine

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7
Q

In biblical times, who ruled Palestine?

A

the Romans

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8
Q

After the Jews were expelled from Palestine where did they go?

A

Moved to neighbouring countries - over next 200 years became merchants, farmers etc

Some even became wealthy and even gained important positions in the government

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9
Q

What happened to many Jews in the Middle Ages?

A

Expelled from much of Western Europe and many settled in Russia and Poland

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10
Q

What were Zionists?

A

Those who advocated the creation of a Jewish home land and later an independent state in Palestine

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11
Q

Why did the Zionists want Palestine?

A

Believed it was the ‘Promised Land’ the Israelites had lived in in biblical times

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12
Q

Between 1880 and 1914 how many Zionists settled in Palestine?

A

60,000

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13
Q

In the 7th century what had most Arabs converted to?

A

Islam - became followers of Muhammed, known as Muslims

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14
Q

In the 16th century, what happened to Arab areas

A

Conquered by Turks

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15
Q

In the late 19th century what did the Arabs try to do?

A

Remove Turkish rulers

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16
Q

What was first held in 1913?

A

First Arab National Congress was held

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17
Q

What was published a year after the first congress?

A

1914 Arab Manifesto which basically said don’t let yourself be oppressed and all Arabs should live together in one land

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18
Q

What were the 1915 McMahon-Hussein letters?

A

`Through these letters the Arabs believed the British had promised an independent Arab state in Palestine

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19
Q

What was the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement?

A

Rendered letters irrelevant. Britain and France agreed to divide the Middle East into 5 parts to prevent Russian influence

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20
Q

What was the 1917 Balfour Declaration?

A

Britain wanted to bring USA into war and believed Jews in America could influence their government. Therefore, they declared support for a Jewish homeland

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21
Q

Who did Turkey fight alongside in WW1?

A

Germany

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22
Q

What was Britain afraid of in WW1?

A

Their supplies of oil from Persia (Iran) might be cut off by the Turks

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23
Q

How did Britain encourage Arabs in WW1?

A

Encouraged Arabs to rebel against Turkish rulers and seek independence

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24
Q

Due to the McMahon-Huessein letters, what did many Arabs do in WW1?

A

Fought for their independence from the Turks - blew up trains and interrupted supply to military

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25
What did Communist Russia do when they learnt about the Sykes-Picot agreement?
Published the terms to embarrass Britain and France
26
When did Britain enter Jerusalem?
1917
27
When and where did Britain defeat the Turks?
Megiddo in 1918
28
What did Arab forces do in 1918?
Liberated Damascus (capital of Syria) - hoped for lasting influence?
29
How did the Arabs first use Faisal and Abdullah?
Proclaimed Faisal King of an independent Syria and Abdullah as King of Iraq
30
How did the League of Nations respond to the Arabs decision over who should rule Syria and Iraq?
Rejected it and the San Remo Conference in 1920 ordered Arabs to withdraw and mandates to be enforced
31
What did Britain offer Faisal and Abdullah instead?
Offered Faisal Iraq and Abdullah Transjordan
32
What did the 1921 Cairo Conference do?
Confirmed Transjordan as being an Arab state, whilst continuing to uphold the Balfour Declaration
33
How were the mandates of 1919 awarded?
Awarded by the Treaty of Versailles which set up the League of Nations
34
What did France gain mandates over in 1919?
Syria and Lebanon
35
What did Britain gain mandates over in 1919?
Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq
36
How did Lawrence of Arabia react to the mandates?
Felt that Hussein, sharif of Mecca, had been humiliated by the Sykes-Picot agreement
37
In 1921 what did the British agree for the French to do?
Agreed that French forces could invade Syria and expel Faisal from the throne he had held for 2 years
38
How did France control Syria and Lebanon through the mandate?
Backed up by military force Press was controlled Nationalist demonstrations were instantly suppressed French allowed elections but insisted on keeping control of foreign policy and security
39
What was signed in 1936?
Treaty granting independence to Syria but French Assembly refused to agree to it
40
What was drafted in Paris in 1926?
A constitution for Lebanon
41
What did the 1926 Lebanon constitution do?
Provided for a Christian president and a Muslim prime minister
42
What did the French propose in 1936?
Proposed a treaty, similar to that with Syria but, again, the French Assembly refused to ratify it
43
When did the French finally recognise the independence of Syria and Lebanon?
1945 when the two states were admitted to the United Nations
44
When did French troops withdraw from Syria and Lebanon?
1946
45
When did Britain recognise Transjordan as an independent state?
1923, although all its troops remained under a British commander and its foreign policy was guided by the British
46
What did Abdullah become king of in 1946?
Transjordan
47
When was Transjordan renamed to Jordan?
1949
48
Why was Britain keen to control Iraq?
Believed that oil was likely to be present
49
By 1918, what did Britain control in Iraq?
3 former Turkish provinces of Basra, Baghdad and Mosul
50
By October 1920, how many troops did Britain have in Iraq?
100,000
51
What do Iraqi school children still learn about?
Revolution of 1920
52
When Britain realised they couldn't run Iraq by themselves, what did they then intend to do?
Set up and Iraqi state which would be independent but tied to Britain
53
When Britain finalised Iraq's borders what 3 distinct groups were in the country and what did this mean?
Kurds, Sunnis and Shias which would cause problems in Iraq's future
54
When did Britain grant Iraqs independence?
1932 and the new state was accepted into the League of Nations. However, Britain still controlled foreign policy and kept 2 airbases, near Basra and Baghdad
55
What else did Britain keep control of after Iraqs independence?
Controlled oil mainly through British-owned Iraqi Petroleum Company, which Britain had a 47.5% share
56
When did British troops first begin occupying Egypt?
Since 1882 after anti-European riots
57
After 1914, what did British troops do in Egypt?
Seized crops and forced Egyptians to work for them
58
What sparked an uprising in Egypt in March 1919?
Arrest of popular Egyptian nationalist leader, Said Zaghlul. The 'Revolution of 1919' led to riots and demonstrations
59
In Egypt how did Britain deal with the uprisings against them?
Demonstrations against continuing British interference were crushed by British troops, leading to injuries and deaths on both sides
60
What resulted from the uprisings against Britain in Egypt?
Nationalist political party known as Wafd, seeking to represent Egypt at the peace conference
61
When did Britain declare Egypt independent?
1922, after fearing further rebellion and disorder
62
Even after declaring Egypt independent, what did Britain control?
Controlled areas that were of interest to the British empire - controlled Suez Canal Zone
63
What was the main aim of the Wafd Party during the inter war years?
To achieve compete independence from Britain - constrained by the king who wanted to rule above Parliament and British authorities
64
What 2 factors led to Britain agreeing to form a treaty with Egypt in 1936?
Italy had invaded Ethiopia and Mussolini now appealed to Egyptians to rise up against the British The king died and his popular son, Farouk, succeed
65
What did the Britain/Egypt treaty of 1936 entail?
Maintained Britain's right to keep military bases in Egypt but secured Egypts international recognitions an independent state and its admission into the League of Nations
66
Why were the Arabs of Palestine frustrated?
Hadn't been given their independence | Increasing Jewish immigration and Jews were buying land in 'their' country
67
What did zionist Chaim Weizmann say?
'Make Palestine as Jewish as England is English'
68
In 1921 where did violence erupt in Palestine?
Town of Jaffa, a busy seaport which acted as the main port of arrival for Jewish immigrants
69
In 1921 where did violence also erupt?
Tel Aviv where riots erupted between rival groups
70
After 2 days of rioting in 1921, what was the death toll?
200 Jews and 120 Arabs were dead or wounded
71
After the violence in 1921, what did the British government do?
Immediately stopped all Jewish immigration and told the Palestinian Arabs that only a part of Palestine was to be made into a Jewish national home
72
In 1919 how many Jews were the in Palestine?
60,000
73
By 1929, what were the proportions of Arabs and Jews in Palestine?
1 million Arabs | 160,000 Jews
74
In August 1929 where did violence erupt in Palestine?
Jerusalem - holy city for Muslims and Jews
75
How bad were the Palestinian riots of 1929?
133 Jews were killed over 4 days | 116 Arabs were killed, mostly by British police while trying to stop the violence
76
What escalated Jewish immigration after 1933?
Hitler coming into power
77
By 1939 how many Jews were in the country?
450,000
78
As Zionist settlements expanded what happened to Palestinian Arabs?
Palestinian peasants (who formed 90% of Palestinian Arab population) became landless and impoverished
79
What provided good leadership for the Jews?
Jewish Agency
80
What did the Arabs form in 1936?
Arab Higher Committee
81
What did the Arab Higher Committee call for in April 1936?
General strike of all Arab workers and government employees and attacks on Jewish settlements and British forces
82
How successful were the strikes in 1936?
Largely unsuccessful - replaced with Jewish workers | Successful in Haifa but resulted in development of Jewish port of Tel Aviv
83
What broke out after April 1936?
Widespread fighting in the countryside within a month 20 Jews had been killed
84
By mid-summer of 1936 what was the situation in Palestine?
Caught up in a civil war that was to last several years and cost thousands of lives
85
How did the British respond to violence in 1936?
Harshly - hanged several Arab leaders, exiled others and destroyed houses suspected of containing Arab terrorists or arms Helped train and organise Jewish defence force of Haganah
86
In May 1936 what did David Ben Gurion (leader of Jewish Agency) do?
Concluded that war would resolve conflict
87
In 1937 what did the British do?
Formed a Partition plan that separate states for the Jews and Arabs would be formed in order to resolve the conflict
88
How did the Arabs respond to the 1937 Partition Plan?
Rejected it - believed all of Palestine was theirs as the British had promised
89
How did the Jewish Agency respond to the 1937 Partition Plan?
Agreed to it but many Jews wanted all of Palestine
90
What was the reasoning behind the British government 'White Paper' of 1939?
WW2 approaching and Britain needed to keep Arab countries on its side so that oil supplies from the Middle East would continue to reach Britain
91
What did the 1939 White Paper say?
That Britain wanted an independent Palestine within 10 years - one in which Arabs and Jews shared responsibility for governing the country
92
Name 3 ways in which Jewish immigration was restricted by the White Paper Act
Quota of 10,000 Jewish immigrants would be allowed for next 5 years 25,000. refugees admitted After 5 years no further Jewish immigration permitted

MIDDLE EAST (12 decks)

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