Introduction
The conclusion of the World War I led to the transformation of Middle Eastern countries on different fronts, including the emergence of nationalist movements. The change is greatly attributed to the involvement of Western powers in the Middle East. The presence of Western powers shaped the nationalist movements within these regions. Some of the nationalist movements that arose from the World War I include Greek and Serbian nationalist movements. Different treaties were drawn between the Western powers, which led to the modern-day boundaries. This paper examines the role of Western influence in the Middle East after the World War I and how their presence shaped the region.
Main body
Firstly, encounters between the Middle East and the West developed a sense of belonging and national identity. After the World War I, the Middle East faced foreign interventions, partial occupation, and invasion by the British and the Soviet Union. These interventions led to far-reaching social and legal reforms to build a sense of nationalism and modernize the entire Middle Eastern region (Gasper, 2020). Some countries in the region started promoting feminism and even outlawed gender separation in public spaces as a move to offer social and political rights to women. For example, after their invasion and partial occupation, Iran adopted the French civil code. Still, it maintained that their laws on personal grooming and gender issues only acted as means to create modern Iranian citizens.
Following World War I and the involvement of the West, the entire Middle Eastern region map was redrawn. The post-World War I map of the Middle East significantly contributed to the region’s division into separate entities, affecting commercial relationships and restricting people’s movement across the region (Gasper, 2020). The several jurisdictions formed by the new map replaced the Ottoman legal and political system across the region since distinct governments and institutions were introduced within these mandates. Consequently, the new boundaries led to different administrations that executed other legal authorizations on people, leading to new categories of identities and loyalties within the region. To a large extent, the political entities that emerged from the post-World War I Middle East map included the new regions that emerged from the old Middle East region.
The presence of the West caused political tensions that beset the Ottoman empire leading to its final dissolution and signing of peace treaties among the Western powers. The victors of the World War I wanted the Ottoman empire as compensation during the post-war peace treaties, which led to mixed reactions in the region. Mass agitation and political mobilization concerning anticolonial nationalism brought about nationalist movements in the region (Gasper, 2020). The nationalist movement, accompanied by the emergence of new radical identities, institutions, and practices, spread throughout the Middle East, leading to elite-led nationalist organizations. The post-World War I nationalist movements were mainly focused on the interests of their members and supporters and generally wanted to take the reins of the colonial mandate.
Conclusion
The West intervened in the Middle East, partially occupied it, and invaded it, resulting in significant social and legal reforms. Some countries in the region began to promote feminism, and some even prohibited gender separation in public spaces. The post-World War I map of the Middle East significantly contributed to the region’s division into separate entities. There was widespread agitation and political mobilization in support of anticolonial nationalism. The nationalist movement spread throughout the region, accompanied by the emergence of new radical entities, identities, institutions, and practices.
Reference
Gasper, M. (2020). The making of the modern Middle East. SAGE Publications, Inc. Web.