SW Asia – History (Part 1)

1. SW Asia – History (Part 1) SS7H2 The student will analyze continuity and change in Southwest Asia (Middle East) leading to the 21st century. a. Explain how European partitioning in Southwest Asia (Middle East) after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict. b. Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connection to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism in Europe.

2. a. Explain how European partitioning in Southwest Asia (Middle East) after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict. • The Ottoman Empire controlled much of SW Asia from the 1300s until the end of World War I (WWI). • The capital of the Empire was Istanbul in the modern country of Turkey. • The empire began to weaken because it was too big and the leaders were having trouble controlling the territory. • As the Ottoman Empire weakened, European countries grew more powerful. • During WWI the Ottomans sided with Germany and Italy (the losing side) and as a result the empire was overthrown and the territory was broken up. • The countries which came out of the breakup of the Ottoman Empire created much of what is now known as the Middle East.

3. a. Explain how European partitioning in Southwest Asia (Middle East) after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict.

4. a. Explain how European partitioning in Southwest Asia (Middle East) after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict. • Check out this cool map: • http://looklex.com/e.o/atlas/h-ottomans.1683.htm

5. a. Explain how European partitioning in Southwest Asia (Middle East) after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict. • When new nations were formed from the Ottoman Empire, the European politicians that were in control paid little attention to how ethnic and religious groups in the region would be affected. • New boundaries also did not take nationalism into consideration. • Nationalism- a desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own • When different groups were mixed together into new countries conflicts began to occur.

6. Review Questions • What led to the end of the Ottoman Empire? • The Ottomans were on the losing side of WWI. • Who drew up the boundaries of the new countries created from the Ottoman Empire after WWI? • Politicians from the European nations that won the war • What is nationalism? • a desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own

7. What’s wrong with this picture?

8. b. Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connection to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism in Europe. • One significant area created from the fall of the Ottoman Empire was called Palestine. • Palestine was an important place to Jews, Christians, and Muslims because of its historical connection to places and events written about in the Torah, the Bible and the Quran. • The most important site in Palestine is Jerusalem. • Between WWI and WWII, Palestine was under the control of Great Britain. Most of the population of Palestine before WWII were Palestinian Arabs. • During the 1800s, many Jews began to immigrate to Palestine. • Why would Jewish people feel strongly about returning to Palestine at this time?

9. b. Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connection to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism in Europe. • The belief that Jewish people deserved to return to their homeland in Zion, which were the parts of Palestine where Jewish people had lived in Biblical times, was called Zionism. • During WWII there was increase in anti-Semitism in Europe. • Anti-Semitism – discrimination against or hatred of Jewish people simply because they are Jewish. • What is a prominent example of anti-Semitism that occurred during WWII? • Why would many Jewish people feel a need to have a homeland following WWII?

10. b. Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connection to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism in Europe. • After WWII many Jewish people felt the need for a homeland where they would not be discriminated against and wouldn’t have to worry about the government practicing anti-Semitism. • Due to the horror of the Holocaust, many countries around the world agreed that Jewish people should be given a homeland. • In 1948, the United Nations voted to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This created the State of Israel. • Problem: There were already Palestinian Arabs living in the area who felt their land was being unfairly given away. • Neighboring Arab countries joined with the Palestinian Arabs and war broke out against Israel in May 1948.

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

12. Review Questions • What was the Holocaust? • The murder of millions of European Jews during WWII • Why did many countries in the U.N. agree that creating the State of Israel was the right thing to do? • Many felt the Jews deserved help because of their suffering in the Holocaust • What is the belief that Jewish people deserved to return the homeland where they had lived in Biblical times? • Zionism

13. Review Questions • In what year was the state of Israel created? • 1948 • What organization oversaw the creation of Israel? • The United Nations • How did Arabs living in Palestine feel about the creation of Israel? • They felt it was unfair and rejected it • When war broke out in Palestine, what countries supported the Palestinian Arabs’ effort to stop the creation of Israel? • Neighboring Arab countries