Question One
The Hashemite family incorporates the Royal families of Iraq, Hejaz, and Jordan. This family belongs to the Hasanid Shariffs of Mecca. Hussein ibn Ali Al Hashimi as the amir of Mecca and Grand Sharif was also the custodian of the Muslim holy places. In 1908, Abdul Hamid II appointed him as such and he was after that together with his sons Faysal and Abdullah allowed to return to Hijaz, which is now present-day Saudi Arabia.
During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire cooperated with the Central Powers in fighting against the Allied countries. This collaboration allowed Hussein as the Emir of Mecca to free the land from the Turks by joining forces with the French and the British. His aim in leading the Great Arab Revolt was so as to put in place a unified Arab state stretching from Aleppo/Syria to Aden/Yemen (The Hashemites home). This revolt led to ensuring that the Hashemites finally ensure that Arab rule was present in Syria, the Arabian Peninsula and all of Jordan. For Faisal, he was king of both the Greater Syria in 1920 and Iraq from 1921 to 1933. For Abdulla, he played a great role in aiding his father to realize the Great Arab Revolt. He became the ruler of Transjordan and its successor state, Jordan from 1921 to 1951.
Question 2
Mustafa Kemal was a Turkish army officer. When Mustafa Kemal overthrew the British and established independence in 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne was created. This occurrence created the Turkish Republic, and Mustafa Kemal became its first President. Kemal had insisted on “Turkifying” the Kurds, outlawing their language, clothing and ways of life. Kemal executed the population exchange where Christian Turks moved to Greece and Muslim Greeks moved to Turkey. His influence was great in establishing Turkey as without him there would be no Turkey as we know it now.
In Egypt, the Wafd Party derived its name from the word ‘delegation’. This party was composed of notables such as Saʿd Zaghlul who insisted that Egypt obtains full independence from from the British immediately after World War I. However, Britain refused to negotiate with the Wafd and exiled its leaders. This led to Egypt launching a full-scale rebellion in 1919. The Wafd fell apart following the 1952 military coup in which Farouk was deposed. the Wafd was revived under the leadership of Fuʾad Siraj al-Din in 1976 (Wang 155). The party indeed led to the proper establishment of Egypt devoid of foreign occupation.
Question 3
After the war, the Treaty of Jeddah which was signed and entered into effect on 20th May 1927. This treaty meant that the United Kingdom accepted that Abdul-Aziz’s would independently rule over his realm. Abdul-Aziz thought that this would be unwise and refuted it seeing that it would have been dangerous to enter into direct conflict with Britain. Abdul, however, declined to participate in it as he recognized the danger of directly confronting the British. The two kingdoms of Najd and Hejaz were united and became the ‘Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’ in 1932.
On the other hand, Iran obtained its independence and was in effect brought to its feet by Turkic Afshar, who was a rebel who hailed from Khorasan. He defeated and withdrew the Afghans, defeated the Ottomans, ensured that the Safavids remained in power, and held talks with the Russians for them to withdraw from Iran’s territories, which was effected by the Treaty of Ganja and also the Treaty of Resht. By 1736, Nader Shah had amassed a lot of power that he deposed the Safavids and ensured that he became Shah. This is how Iran came to be known as it is, however, several developments occurred in the years following to give it its unique character.
Question 4
In the case of Saudi Arabia, the British influence dates back to the time of the First World War. During this time, Ibn Saud signed the Treaty of Darin in 1915 whereby Saudi Arabia (as it was then) accepted the status of a British protectorate. On 20 May 1927, the Treaty of Jeddah was concluded. In 1916, having the support of France and Britain, the Sharif of Mecca led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire. However, Britain changed tact and sided with Al Saud. This left Ibn Saud isolated. The direct result of this is that the revolt failed but in the end Arabia was free from the control of the Ottomans.
In Egypt, the British occupation had no legal basis but was essentially a protectorate over the country. This status remained in place until the Ottoman Empire got involved the First World War where it sided with the central powers. After this, Britain on its own declared a protectorate over Egypt. This protectorate status was brought to an end by the unilateral declaration of Egyptian independence on 28 February 1922. In 1956, Britain engaged in war against Egypt over the Suez Canal, but due to lack of international support it was forced to let go.
After World War 1 the map was redrawn by the controlling powers. This led to the development of a British Mandate for Palestine. The region included the territory of Transjordan, which had been allocated to Abdullah I of Jordan approximately a year before the finalization of the Mandate document. The British consequently made Abdullah emir of the newly created Transjordan. The Permanent Court of International Justice and an International Court of Arbitration in its ruling in 1925 determined that Palestine and Transjordan were newly created successor states of the Ottoman Empire as defined by international law.
Works Cited
The Hashemites Home. Biographical information: Sharif Hussein bin Ali. Web. 8 Mar. 2016. <http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/sharif_hussein.html>
Wang, Shih-Tsung. “Lord Salisbury and the Justification of the British Position in Egypt.” EurAmerica. Vol. 26. No. 4. 1996. 139-171. Print.
