World History: Present
Africa and the Middle East After WWI
During the early 1900s, almost every part of Africa was a European colony During World War I ( ), more than 1 million Africans fought on behalf of their colonial rulers
Many Africans thought their services in WWI would lead to their independence, but it did not Many Western-educated Africans criticized the injustice of imperial rule
The best jobs still went to Europeans Due to the inequality of the imperial system, led by capitalist countries, many Africans turned to socialism
Many laws were passed to ensure white supremacy Whites, by law, were paid more
Some blacks were forced off their land and forced to live on reservations In South Africa, like in Kenya, blacks had to carry passes at all times
Blacks were not allowed to be in the streets after dark in parts of South Africa In one province in South Africa, black land owners had the right to vote. The right was taken away in 1936
Segregation was commonplace These policies would become even stricter and enforced greatly in 1948, during apartheid
Pan-Africanism became popular It emphasized the unity of Africans and people of African descent worldwide One of the most prominent leaders of the movement was Marcus Garvey
Garvey preached “Africa for Africans” Garvey also demanded the end of colonial rule
W.E.B. DuBois organized the first Pan-African Congress in 1919 The conference took place in Paris, where the Allies were holding the WWI peace conferences
Delegates from African colonies, the West Indies, and the United States called on the Paris peacemakers to approve a charter of rights for Africans Their demands were ignored
French-speaking writers in West Africa and the Caribbean began the negritude movement Writers expressed pride in their African roots and protested French colonial rule The writers were influenced by the Harlem Renaissance in the United States
Egyptians held protests, strikes, and riots after WWI In 1922, Britain was forced to grant Egypt its independence Britain still had a large influence of the Egyptian monarchy
Displeased, many young Egyptians formed the Muslim Brotherhood The organization fostered Islamic nationalism and rejected Western culture
Africa and the Middle East After WWI
The Middle East grew in prominence after WWI The vehicles of WWI proved that gasoline was the fuel of the future and the Middle East had an abundant supply
The Ottoman Empire was dissolved after WWI The Ottoman sultan also gave some land to Greece after WWI
Turkish nationalists, led by Mustafa Kemal, overthrew the Ottoman sultan and declared Turkey a republic Kemal defeated the Greeks and negotiated a treaty in which 1.3 million Greeks left Turkey and 400,000 Turks left Greece
Kemal then took the name Ataturk (father of the Turks) Ataturk moved to westernize Turkey and separate religion from government
Many Turks praised Ataturk for the growth of their country Islamic hardliners resented his rejection of religion in laws and government
In Persia, Britain and Russia had controlled the shah since the early 20 th Century Reza Khan led nationalists in an overthrow of the shah
Reza Khan modernized Persia Like Ataturk, Khan also removed Islamic law from the government He was condemned by Muslim religious leaders
Arabs were outraged by the European- controlled mandates set up at the Paris Peace Conference Arabs thought they would get the right to self- rule
Instead, France was given mandates in Syria and Lebanon Britain was given mandates in Iraq, Iraq, and Trans-Jordan
During WWI, The Allies made two sets of conflicting promises First, they promised Arabs they would get their own kingdoms, including Palestine
The second occurred in 1917 when the British announced the Balfour Declaration In it, the British advocated the idea of setting up a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine
From 1919 to 1940, tens of thousands of Jews immigrated to Palestine At the same time, the Arab population almost doubled
Tensions between Jews and Arabs grew To this day, Arabs and Jews are fighting over this territory