Goldschmidt+179-185

August 1914: Ottoman Empire entered war on the German side. Reasons:
 * World War I**
 * "to reconquer Egypt from the British and the Caucasus Mountains from Russia" (179).
 * Germany was respected for its military, economic might. Many German military advisors were in the area.
 * Germans were building a railroad in Ottoman Empire; training Turks to use modern weapons.
 * "sultan officially proclaimed a military jihad against Britain, France, and Russia" (179).
 * Millions of Muslim people living within these three countries, if they heard this message would have had to rebel against their country in regard to their “Ottoman sultan-caliph” (180).


 * Britain and the Arabs**
 * Some Ottomans reached Suez Canal, so British stationed 100,000 troops in Egypt in order to:
 * 1) intimidate Egyptian nationalists
 * 2) stop Ottoman effort to take the canal
 * Ottoman Empire attempted to strengthen rule by appointing local governors. Husayn clashed with Ottoman sultan.
 * Husayn McMahon Correspondence**
 * British want Husayn to stage an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. In exchange, Husayn wants sovereign land and military and financial aid.
 * Husayn: a leader of the Hijaz. He supported Ottomanist ideal but disliked many controlling centralizing policies the CUPs enforced.
 * British try to persuade Husayn to set up an anti-Ottoman alliance and a revolt against Ottoman rule, which the British would support.
 * McMahon excluded some parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Fertile Crescent, but it is ambiguous if he "intended to exclude only hat has become Lebanon... or also Palestine" (181).
 * Goldschmidt contends that McMahon probably tried to exclude Lebanon to maintain connection with the French and also because Jewish support was less important than the alliance with the French.


 * Arab Nationalism**
 * One young Turk, a ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Jemal led an expedition to seize the canal and free Egypt from Britain (182). Jemal failed and then became governor of Syria, and under it they suffered famine, labor shortages, bad transport, etc.
 * societies met and decided who to side with in the war. Husayn’s son Faysal traveled to Syria to help campaign with Arab nationalists and Jemal.
 * April/May 1916: “Jemal’s police seized some leading Arabs, some who were not even nationalists, arrested for treason”. 22 men publically hanged in Beirut and Damascus (182).
 * This aroused so much anger in Syria and amoung all Arabs that Faysal went back to Mecca to tell his father that it was now proper time for a revolt.
 * Arab Revolt**
 * "Husayn declared the Arabs independent and unfurled the standard of their revolt against Turkish rule" (182).
 * "Guided by European advisors (like T.E. Lawrence) ...fought on thesid of the Allies against the Ottoman Empire" (182).
 * Late October 1916: Ottomans signed an armistice with the Allies. "The Arabs [felt] that their independence was at hand" (182).
 * Arab supporters fought on the side of the Allies against the Ottomans.
 * They moved into Palestine.
 * British forces took Jaffa and Jerusalem
 * Arabs blew up railways,etc. Britain forces heldout of Damascus and let Lawrence of Arabia and the Arabs occupy the city as they became a member of provisional Arab government, lead bt Faysal. The Ottoman Empire withdrew from Syria.
 * An armistice was signed with the Allies; Arabs were promised self-determination, hoping independence was at hand.


 * Sykes-Picot Agreement**
 * The British government promised Ottoman-ruled land to other countries, like Greece, Italy, Russia, and France.
 * Britain, France, Russia "drew up a second secret treaty known as Sykes-Picot agreement" (183).
 * Conditions:
 * France: "direct French rule in northern and western Syria, sphere of influence in Syrian hinterland" (183).
 * Britain: "rule lower Iraq directly" and "indirect control from the Mediterranean to the Gulf" (183).
 * Jaffa and Jerusalem would be under international control.
 * Arabs: only the desert


 * Balfour Declaration**
 * November 1917
 * "British government would help set up a //national home// //in Palestine// for Jews" (184).
 * Jews, living outside of Palestine, would continue to have rights.
 * The "civil and religious" rights of non-Jews living in the area would be maintained (184). What about political rights?
 * Very vague and a contradiction of Husayn-McMahon correspondences.

Vocabulary Terms: Jihad: a religious duty of muslims Caliph: a successor of Muhammad Sharif: a descendant of Muhammad Amir: Prince of the Sharifs CUP: The Committee of Union and Progress; Imperial government of the Ottoman Empire

Source: Goldschmidt, Arthur Jr., //A Concise History of the Middle East//. Boulder, Colorado: Westview, 1979. pg. 179-185