MIDDLE EAST HISTORY

MIDDLE EAST HISTORY H2a H2b

Explain how European partitioning in the Middle East after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict.

• The Ottoman Empire controlled much of modern day Southwest Asia from 1300 until the end of World War I. • The Ottoman Empire aligned itself with the Central Powers in WWI (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, etc) • The Central Powers lost the war.

Explain how European partitioning in the Middle East after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict.

• European politicians partitioned (divided up) the area known as the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war. • They paid no attention to the religious or ethnic groups living in the area when they drew the new boundaries

Explain how European partitioning in the Middle East after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict.

• They did not consider nationalism (the idea that countries are most successful if the people who live there share some common cultural, historic or religious beliefs). • As a result, there has been a lot of conflict.

Question 1 • What led to the end of the Ottoman Empire at the close of WWI? a. The Ottomans were on the losing side of the war along with Germany and other members of the central powers. b. The Empire spent too much money on buildings and new roads and went bankrupt. c. The people in the Empire were starving because a long drought had ruined agriculture. d. The Ottoman government was overthrown by a revolt of factory workers who were unemployed when the war ended

Question 2 • Who drew up the boundaries of the new countries created from the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI?

a. b. c. d.

United States Ottoman rulers European politicians Middle Eastern governments

Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism.

• Palestine was created from the old Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI. • Important as the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. • Torah, Bible, and Koran (Quran) share some of the same history. • Many religious sites in Palestine sacred to all 3 religions (especially in Jerusalem).

Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism.

• Before WWII Palestine was divided into two sections. Transjordan to the east of the Jordan River; Palestine to the west. • British were given control of Palestine until a permanent government could be established. • Most of the people living in Palestine were Palestinian Arabs. • Large numbers of Jewish settlers had been coming since the 1880s.

Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism.

• Zionism is the belief that the Jews should have a homeland in the part of Palestine where the Jewish people lived during Biblical times. • Zionists are those people who believe in Zionism • Conflicts began between the Jewish settlers and the Palestinian Arabs

Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism.

• The Holocaust was a time (during WWII) when the Jewish people suffered horribly at the hands of the Nazi government. • There was widespread anti-Semitism (hatred of the Jews simply because they practiced Judaism) in Europe. • At the end of the war many countries felt guilty as they learned of the atrocities suffered by the Jews.

Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism.

• In 1948, the newly created United Nations voted to create a homeland for the Jews in part of Palestine. • This became the state of Israel. • Palestinians living in the area were unhappy and they and other Arab countries refused to recognize Israel. • War broke out in May 1948. • The Israelis won and claimed lands not part of the original plan.

Question 1 •

Which describes the Holocaust? a. The murder of millions of European Jews during WWII b. The destruction of all European governments during WWII c. The bombing of towns and villages in England and Germany during WWII. d. The Russian policy of burning ground behind them as they retreated to stop the German invasion.

Question 2 Why did so many countries in the United Nations feel it was right to create Israel in 1948? a. There was no one else living on the land at that time. b. Many felt the Jews deserved help due to their suffering in the Holocaust. c. Arab countries in the area supported the creation of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. d. All national groups in the former Ottoman Empire were being given homelands at the same time.

Question 3 What is Zionism?

a. The idea that all religious groups should have their own homeland b. The plan to let Arabs and Jews share the land in Palestine equally. c. The hope that all governments will be based on religious principles d. The belief that Jews deserved to return to a homeland in Zion where they had lived in Biblical times.

Question 4 What world organization created the new state of Israel in 1948 as a homeland for the Jews? a. b. c. d.

The United Nations The European Union The League of Nations The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Question 5 How did the Arabs living in Palestine in 1948 feel about the creation of the new state of Israel? a. They supported it fully

b. They rejected it as unfair to them. c. The Arab population in Palestine was largely unaffected by the new state. d. They agreed to try to work it out although they were unhappy about the decision.

Question 6

Which countries border the Gaza Strip? a. Iraq and Jordan

b. Israel and Egypt c. Lebanon and Syria d. Israel and the West Bank

Question 7

What is the approximate location of the Dead Sea from Jerusalem? a. Nearly 25 miles east

b. Nearly 25 miles west c. About 15 miles southeast d. About 15 miles southwest

Question 8

What country is found at 31oN and 34oE? a. Egypt

b. Israel c. Jordan d. Saudi Arabia