How Did European Imperialism Affect The Middle East

814 Words4 Pages

European Imperialism

Many of the conflicts in the Middle East today can be traced back to the social and political changes that occurred between 1800 and 1918. The division and struggle for national rights by the Kurds have been constant themes of recent Middle Eastern history. For most of their history, Kurds have been a part of the Persian and Ottoman empires and were a mostly nomadic people. However, the desire for a Kurdish homeland did not begin until the early 1900's. World War I had a profound impact on the Middle East. After the defeat of the Ottoman empire in 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres between the Turkish government and the principal Allied Powers (The British Empire, France, Italy and Japan) outlined the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty obliged Turkey to renounce all rights over Arab Asia and North Africa. As the Allied Powers embarked on nation building across the Middle East, the treaty indiscriminately carved out the region into mandates, protectorates, colonies and spheres of influence. Notably, the nation states of Iraq, Syria and Kuwait were formed. The agreement called for an autonomous Kurdistan, however Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq refused to recognize Kurdish independence. …show more content…

This final treaty ignored the promise for Kurdish autonomy and the Kurds have since been marginalized, particularly in Turkey where Kurdish identity has been denied, and thousands of Kurds have been killed. In each of the four nations, Kurds have had uneasy relationships with authorities, rebelling at times in their pursuit of recognition, political rights, autonomy, or independence. Today, Kurds make up almost 15 to 20 percent of the population in modern