The Legacy of the Ottoman Empire

Paper Summary:

The Ottoman Empire ranks alongside the Roman and Byzantine as one of the most powerful and long-lasting imperial systems in world history. This paper focuses on the disintegration of the Ottoman dominion and the manner in which their former territories came to be under the thumb of the victorious European powers. In particular, it analyses the manner in which the Western Powers exerted influence on the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and the makeup of the Middle East after World War One.

From the Paper:

"The Ottomans had mistakenly chosen to ally themselves with the Central Powers, and when they were defeated, all of the Middle East, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire became 'up for grabs' as spheres of influence for the victorious Allied nations. This is where many of the Middle East problems we face today began. The generally unsound Treaties, drawn up by the Western powers, combined with those far removed, European politicians, arbitrarily created the Middle East national boundaries that exist today without any regard to local geography, tribal affiliations or national identity. Inevitably, this method of decision making and map drawing was to prove fallacious, yet at the time there was little criticism, bar that of the Turkish nationalists. Whether or not the victorious European powers believed or even desired that this system endure and even flourish is a topic of uncertainty."

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