This Week in the Middle East - The Sykes-Picot Agreement

 

This Week’s Historical Theme: The Middle East 

 

19 May 1916 

 

A significant event throughout the history of the Middle East is the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The First World War was a turning point in the Arab struggle for independence against their Turkish rulers under the Ottoman empire. Turkey fought on the German side against Britian and its allies. As the British navy were beginning to make more use out of oil, they were afraid that their supplies of oil from Persia might be cut off by the Turks and also wished to protect the Suez Canal. As a result, they decided to encourage the Arabs to rebel against their Turkish rulers and seek independence. The British high commissioner in Egypt, Sir Herbert McMahon, exchanged several letters with Hussein, the sharif of Mecca, promising that if the Arabs fought against the Turks, the British would support Arab independence. As a result, in 1916 an Arab army was raised and led by Emir (Prince) Faisal, the son of Hussein. In 1917, British troops entered Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, driving out the Turks. 

 

Having fought for their independence from the Turks, the Arabs were determined to be completely self-governed. British and French colonial interests got in the way of this as they wished to maintain their power and influence in the Middle East. They had made a secret agreement in 1916 to carve up Turkey’s Arab lands after the war and share them out between themselves. This is known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement. After the conclusion of WWI, The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 gave Britain mandates to govern Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq, and France mandates to govern Syria and Lebanon. These regions were divided by the Sykes-Picot borders which divided the Middle East into spheres of influence with little regard for the problems this would subsequently cause. 

 

Want to find out more about the Sykes-Picot Agreement? Click here for more information, or here for more about Mandatory Palestine. 

 

 

This Week in Pandemics - The First Reported Cases of the Spanish Flu

This Week's Historical Theme: Pandemics

 

4 March 1918

 

A significant event throughout the history of pandemics that occurred in March was the first reported cases of the Spanish influenza. Just before breakfast, Private Albert Gitchell of the US army reported to the hospital at Fort Riley, Kansas, complaining of cold-like symptoms of a sore throat, fever, and headache. By noon, over 100 of his fellow soldier had reported similar symptoms, marking the first cases in the historic influenza pandemic of 1918, later known as the Spanish flu. It would eventually kill 675,000 Americans and an estimated 20 million to 50 million people worldwide, proving to be deadlier than the First World War.

 

The initial outbreak was followed by similar outbreaks in army camps and prisons around the country, and soon, the disease travelled to Europe with the American soldiers heading to aid the Allies. 31,000 cases were then reported in June in Great Britain, and over the summer, the first wave hit German forces on the Western Front. It had a significant effect on the already weakening morale of the troops. By the end of the summer, numerous cases had been reported in Russia, North Africa, India, China, Japan, and the Philippines. The influenza continued to wreak havoc after the war had ended and infected an estimated 28% of the United States before it petered out.

 

Want to find out more about the Spanish flu? Click here for more information, or here for more about America's struggled to bury the dead during the pandemic.

This Week in China - The Last Emperor Abdicates

This Week's Historical Theme: China

 

12 February 1912

 

A significant event throughout the history of China that occurred in February was the last emperor's abdication. Hsian-T'ung was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only 6 years old, was allowed to maintain his residence in Beijing's Forbidden City in exile. He took the name of Henry Pu Yi and was granted a large government pension. In 1934, Pu Yi was enthroned as K'ang Te, emperor of Manchukuo. He would hold onto this title until 1945, when he was captured by Soviet troops.

 

In 1946, Pu Yi testified before the Tokyo war crimes tribunal that he had been an unwilling tool of the Japanese and not, as they had claimed, an instrument of Manchurian self-determination. Manchuria and the Rehe province were returned to China, and in 1950, Pu Yi was handed over to the Chinese communists. He was imprisoned at Shenyang but was granted amnesty by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1959. After his release, he worked in a mechanical repair shop in Peking. He married in 1962 to Li Shuxian, but died five years later, and was buried near the Western Qing tombs in a commercial cemetery.

 

Want to find out more about Pu Yi? Click here for more information, or here for more about the wider history of China.

This Week in Ukraine - The Declaration of Independence

This Week's Historical Theme: The Ukraine

 

26 January 1918

 

A significant event throughout the history of the Ukraine that occurred in January was their declaration of independence. The majority of the country had been incorporated into the Russian empire after the second partition of Poland in 1793, while the remaining section remained part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and was a key battleground of World War I's Eastern Front. Following the overthrow of the Tsar in February 1917, Ukraine set up a provisional government and proclaimed itself a republic within the structure of a federated Russia. After Lenin and his Bolsheviks rose to power in November, Ukraine declared its complete independence.

 

However, Ukraine's Rada government, that had formed after the secession, had difficulty imposing its rule onto the people in the face of Bolshevik opposition and counter-revolutionary activity. As Ukraine was seen as an ideal to Germany and Austria, they brought in troops to preserve order, forcing Russian troops that were occupying the country to leave under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The defeat of the Central Powers in November 1918 forced Germany and Austria to finally withdraw from Ukraine. Despite this, the Ukraine government later allied themselves with Poland, and in 1922, Ukraine became one of the original constituent republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and would not regain its independence until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

 

Want to find out more about the independence of Ukraine? Click here for more information, or here for more about their independence day.

November 11 - The Armistice Ends World War I

This Day in History: 11 November 2020

 

11 November 1918

 

102 years ago, today, World War I ended when Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in France. The war had left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Great Britain each losing nearly a million or more lives. In addition to this, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation or exposure. The war became known as the 'war to end all wars' because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. However, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict, the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilised Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II.

 

The war had been sparked in 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot to death. He had been inspecting his uncle's imperial armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite the threat of Serbian nationalists. Had Gavrilo Princip, the murderer, not been buying a sandwich on the same street as where the Archduke's car was being turned around, it could be said that the war would not have happened. The Serbian government was blamed for the attack.

 

Want to find out more about the armistice that ended the First World War? Click here for more information, or here for more about the death of Franz Ferdinand.

November 2 - The Balfour Declaration is Written

This Day in History: 2 November 2020

 

2 November 1917

 

103 years ago, today, the Balfour Declaration was written. This was a letter from Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Britain's most illustrious Jewish citizen, Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing the British government's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The letter stated that "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." Britain had supported the Zionist movement due to the country's concerns regarding the First World War. Prime Minister Lloyd George did hold a genuine belief in Zionism's righteousness, but Britain's leaders also hoped that a supporting statement would help gain Jewish support for the Allied war effort.

 

The influence of the Balfour Declaration on the course of post-war events was immediate. According to the 'mandate' system created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Britain was entrusted with the administration of Palestine, with the understanding that it would support both the Jewish and Arab inhabitants. However, it did not succeed in maintaining the letter and spirit of the mandate. Britain announced its termination of its mandate over Palestine in 1947, after the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to partition Palestine.

 

Want to find out more about the Balfour Declaration? Click here for more information, or here for more about the British mandate of Palestine.

October 30 - The Armistice of Mudros

This Day in History: 30 October 2020

 

30 October 1918

 

102 years ago, today, the Armistice of Mudros concluded, ending hostilities in the Middle East between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War One the following day. The treaty also effectively marked the dissolution of a once mighty empire. It was signed between the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs, Rauf Bey, and the British Admiral Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe. By its terms, Turkey had to open the Dardanelle and Bosporus straits to Allied warships and its forts to military occupation. They were also forced to demobilise their army, release all prisoners of war and evacuate its Arab provinces.

 

During World War One, the Ottoman Empire initially stayed neutral, but soon formed an alliance with Germany and entered the war on the side of the Central Powers. The Turks subsequently fought successfully to defend the Gallipoli Peninsula against a massive Allied invasion in 1915-1916. However, by 1918, defeat by invading British and Russian forces and an Arab revolt had combined to destroy the Ottoman economy and devastate its land, leaving millions dead and millions more starving. The Ottoman government and several Turkish leaders felt the need to contact the Allies to search for peace.

 

Want to find out more about the Armistice of Mudros? Click here for more information, or here for a video with more about the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

September 6 - The First Tank is Produced

This Day in History: 6 September 2020

 

6 September 1915

 

105 years ago, today, the first tank, nicknamed 'Little Willie' was produced. Initially, it weighed 14 tons, got frequently stuck in trenches and crawled over rough terrain at only two miles an hour. However, tanks eventually transformed military battlefields as improvements were made to the original prototype. A second prototype, Big Willie, was produced after Little Willie's underwhelming performance. By 1916, this vehicle was deemed ready for battle and made its debut at the First Battle of the Somme. The first batch of tanks was hot, noisy and suffered malfunctions on the battlefield, but people realised the tank's potential.

 

The British developed the tank in response to the trench warfare of World War One. The idea of an armoured vehicle with conveyer-belt-like tracks over wheels was championed by two men named Ernest Swinton and William Hankey. They appealed to Winston Churchill, the navy minister, resulting in a Landships Committee begin organised to start developing a prototype. In order to keep the project secret from enemies, production workers were told the vehicles they were building would carry water on the battlefield. Tanks rapidly became an important military weapon and played a prominent role during World War Two.

 

Want to find out more about Little Willie? Click here for more information, or here for a video about how useless Little Willie was.