Imperialism In The Middle East

Introduction In 1914, the world was divided by power and who held it. In the Middle East that was the Ottoman Empire. An empire that expanded that ruled from Turkey and held control along the Arabian Peninsula. This region was as complicated as the western front with a multitude of players on a single field, with Germany, France, Britain, and the Arab tribes all vying for power and influence. Germany combined with the Ottoman Empire and the allies of Britain and France backing their support for the Arab tribes. Creating cacophony of cultures clashing together. With clashing cultures it was necessary to have intermediaries for this large empires on the ground to make sure that the goals of the government was met. For the British this …show more content…
Since it gives good reason as to why Lawrence is even in the Middle East to begin with. The main power in the Middle East at the time was the Ottoman Empire. They ruled a wide and diverse group of people including the Arabs. It at this time was having an incredibly hard time controlling such a massive expanse of land and maintain organization, so they call upon the germans for help. Both the Arabs and West would want to put a stop to this empire. Though each have very different reasons. Because of these different reason it leads to the clash that happens later post revolt. For the Arabs they simply want freedom from the old regime and to govern their lives as they see fit. The Ottomans and their form of government did not look favorable to the Arab people and considered separate to the larger population. An example of this is the term “Rayah”, which translates to cattle in Turkish is used to describe the Arabic people . This shows a lack of empathy and consideration for the Arabic people. Not only are they cattle but, they are put in slave-like conditions which is considered illegal under Muslim law . Things get even more complicated for the Ottomans and Arabs when religion gets involved. For the The Ottoman Empire, World War I was considered a holy war, contrast that to the Arabs, not only are the people living in a region with little power in their government but, they are also a multiethnic people with little consensus as a governance and multiple religions . Islam is a popular religion in the region but there is also Christianity and Judaism, as well as a few indigenous religions that thrive there . The Arabs were not only wanting freedom to govern their own lives but also the wish to practice their beliefs freely from the