HISTORY OF MODERN SOUTHWEST ASIA

1. SS7H2 – Analyze continuity and change in Southwest Asia leading to the 21st century HISTORY OF MODERN SOUTHWEST ASIA

2. ELEMENTS • Explain how European partitioning in the Middle East after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to regional conflict • Explain the historical reasons for the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connections to the land, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Zionism in Europe • Describe how land and religion are reasons for continuing conflicts in the Middle East • Explain U.S. presence and interest in Southwest Asia; include the Persian Gulf conflict and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq

3. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How did European portioning in Southwest Asia after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire lead to a regional conflict? • How does anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and Zionism relate to the establishment of the modern state of Israel? • How are land and religion reasons for continuing conflicts in Southwest Asia (Middle East)? • What are factors that led to the U.S. participation in the Persian Gulf Conflict and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq?

4. THE BREAKUP OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE The Ottoman Empire was one of the most successful empires in the 16th century. After the death of King Suleyman, the empire would experience a decline and then an eventual fall After World War I, in which the empire would lose the war, the empire would be split France took over Syria and Lebanon, Great Britain would take Palestine and Iraq

5. CONFLICTS OVER LAND • Because of France and Britain taking over land, major conflict has been an ongoing problem • Britain and France drew boundary lines which ignored cultural and religious issues • Iraq had conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims who fight for power • Kurds were split up between Turkey, Iraq and Iran • These countries fight to remove Kurds

6. THE SAGA OF LAND AND RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST ASIA LAND CONFLICTS RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS • Iraq and Iran have fought for land barriers since 1980 • Was called the Iraq-Iran War • Major reason was for oil • Iraq would attack Kuwait in 1990 because of their thought Kuwait betrayed them • Conflict was called the Persian Gulf War • Palestine denied Israel independence because of its Jewish origins • Israel fought Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt in the War of Independence in 1948 • Israel continues to face conflicts from Hezbollah • Shiite organization which means “Party of God” • Shia and Sunni Muslims continue to fight in Iraq over power • Iraq-Iran War also fought for religious rights between Sunnis in Iraq and Shiites in Iran

7. IRAQ-IRAN WAR

8. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ISRAEL Israel as it’s own country was established in 1948. After Britain captured Palestine during WWI, the land was to be divided between Jews and Arabs. The United Nations decided that the Jews who lived in Palestine should have their own state. After conflict between Jews and Arabs continued, the U.N. voted to end British rule in Palestine and give the Jewish people their own state, which would become Israel

9. JEWISH RELIGIOUS CONNECTIONS TO ISRAEL • As far back as 70 years ago, the sacred places of Jews have been in the land formerly known as Palestine, including the Western Wall, which is the remains of the Second Temple of worship

10. THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS EFFECTS Over 250,000 Jewish people were placed in concentration camps during the Holocaust, part of Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution” to rid the world of the people he felt caused the fall of Germany in World War I. Jewish people were tortured, experimented on, burned, starved and killed. In all, over 6 million were killed. After WWII, Jews wanted to enter Palestine but were blocked by the British. Britain would eventually concede and let the Jews into Palestine

11. IMAGES OF THE HOLOCAUST

12. THE GROWTH OF ANTI SEMITISM • Anti-Semitism is showing prejudice against Jewish people • Began in Europe, with France, Russia and Austria having major issues with Jews • Jewish people were constantly being denied rights and privileges in European countries • Jewish people would be blamed for events and issues, mainly the fall of Germany after World War I and the death of Jesus Christ

13. THE ZIONISM MOVEMENT • Europe in the late 1880s wanted to press a movement called Zionism • Starting a homeland for Jews in Palestine • Started to gain steam during World War I, with Britain working with the First Zionist Congress of Switzerland • Faced backlash from Arabs and lost the support of Britain

14. THE UNITED STATES VS. SOUTHWEST ASIA – THE PERSIAN GULF WAR Iraq would invade Kuwait in 1990. Dictator Saddam Hussein wanted the oil in Kuwait and to have access to the Persian Gulf. The United Nations would intervene, but Iraq did not back down. The United States and other countries would invade to help Kuwait and eventually defeat Iraq in less than two months. Iraq was ordered by the United Nations to destroy all weapons of mass destruction

15. THE UNITED STATES VS. SOUTHWEST ASIA – SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 • On September 11, 2001, a terrorist group known as al-Qaeda, led by the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, crashed two airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Many Americans were killed and the United States declared war on Afghanistan. U.S. troops would bomb Afghanistan and destroy parts of the country looking for Bin Laden. • The U.S. would defeat the Taliban and help to establish a new government in Afghanistan. • Osama Bin Laden was eventually found in 2011 and killed by a covert operations team in Pakistan

16. SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

17. THE UNITED STATES VS. SOUTHWEST ASIA – THE IRAQI WAR • The U.S. and Britain invaded Iraq again in 2003 over fear of more WMDs in Iraq • The Iraqi army was defeated after bombings and Saddam Hussein was captured in 2006 and sentenced to death for murders • In 2005, with the help of the U.S., the Iraqi government was now democratic and had their first elections • Troops still remain in Iraq to protect from possible uprisings and to keep the country secure and safe