history of the Middle East
The Middle East is an
area of Asia, located in the west of the continent, with the doors of
Africa and Europe. Its history is particularly rich: it is in this area of the
world that for example the writing and the three principal religions appeared;
it is also on these grounds that brilliant civilizations arabo-Moslem women and
current oil the States rich person developed.
The Middle East IS A LARGE HEARTH OF
CIVILIZATION
The Middle East very early plays an
essential role in the history of humanity. It is indeed in this area that the
man develops
agriculture (hitherto it was hunter
or gatherer) and becomes sedentary (and either nomad).
The "fertile Crescent"
The first cities appear
in Mésopotamie, an area
located between the Tigre rivers and Euphrate: the "fertile
Crescent". These cities (sumériennes, babyloniennes then assyriennes)
organize and create a beginning of administration. The
first written form is worked out to
keep the commercial accounts (this discovery involves the
passage of prehistory to the history). The first codes
of laws are made up (the known first
being the Code of Hammourabi, to the xviii E century before
J-C).
New kingdoms appear towards 1000 before
J-C. The Hebrews melt the kingdom
of Israel to the xi E century before J-C; it reaches its
apogee under the reigns of David and Solomon, before being divided into two
small kingdoms: the kingdom of Juda and the kingdom of Israel. For their
part, Phéniciens occupy Eastern
banks of the Mediterranean (Lebanon current) and develop an intense trade with
Western banks (Greece, Gaule, Spain, etc).
Babyloniens create a prosperous kingdom at the end of the vii
E century before J-C, under the reign of Nabuchodonosor II.
Starting from the VI E century before J-C, Perses
invade and unify all Middle East.
They are overcome by the Macedonian Alexandre the Large one into 330 before J-C, which conquers in its
turn the area. It then passes to the hands
Romans, who found peace ( the pax romana). Starting from the
conquest of Alexandre the Large one and during nearly 1 000 years, the Middle
East is subject to the Roman influence
of civilizations Greek then.
Ground of the three great religions
monotheists
The Middle East is also the ground of
birth of the three great religions monotheists (which have one god). The
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all three appeared in this area of the
world:
—towards 1300 before J-C, Moïse receives the divine revelation on the Sinai mount (in Arabia) and leads the Hebrews to the promised Earth (Palestine);
—in the first years of I er century after J-C, Jesus grows as a Galileo (today in Israel) and joined the city of Jerusalem where it preaches the divine word;
—at the beginning of the vii E century, Mahomet receives the revelation of God in Mecque (in Arabia), before going to Médine.
—towards 1300 before J-C, Moïse receives the divine revelation on the Sinai mount (in Arabia) and leads the Hebrews to the promised Earth (Palestine);
—in the first years of I er century after J-C, Jesus grows as a Galileo (today in Israel) and joined the city of Jerusalem where it preaches the divine word;
—at the beginning of the vii E century, Mahomet receives the revelation of God in Mecque (in Arabia), before going to Médine.
The CONQUEST Arabo-Moslem woman
Omeyyades and Abbassides
Very quickly, the successors of Mahomet
gain the territories close to Arabia. As of
the vii E century,
the dynasty of Omeyyades installs its
capital in Damas (in current Syria) and
conquers most of the Middle East. In the medium of the
viii E century, the dynasty of Abbassides
reverses Omeyyades and directs the
area from Baghdad (today in Iraq). The
domination of these two dynasties arabo-Moslem women extends as far as North
Africa and part of Spain. This period is prosperous, at the same time from the
economic point of view and the cultural level.
Seldjoukides and Christian crusades
At the medium of the xi E century, new conquerors arrive of the
East, the Turks seldjoukides, who install their capital with Ispahan
(today in Iran). These Moslems show
themselves less tolerant than their predecessors towards the Christians, which
causes in Europe a call to the crusade. In 1099, the cross ones
seize Jerusalem and melt the Latin States of the East. During
nearly two centuries, the crusades follow one another to come to assistance in
these Latin States, while Seldjoukides and their allies try to reconquer these
territories.
The immense Empire ottoman
Gradually, a new power will dominate the
area: the Empire ottoman. In 1453,
the Turks ottomans conquer the Christian city of Constantinople (which
becomes Istanbul, today in Turkey). The Empire ottoman reaches its apogee
to the
xvi E century, under the reign of the Soliman the Magnificent sultan.
This immense empire covers the major part of the Middle East and extends in
North Africa and part of Europe. Its European border, with the doors of the
town of Vienna, threatens Austria particularly.
However, the Empire ottoman declines
starting from the xvii E century. Taken in the quarrels of
dynasties, incompetent to modernize his economy and its army, it must be denied
against the attacks the European powers: France (in Lebanon and in Syria),
England (in Egypt), Austria (in Balkans) and Russia (in the Caucasus).It must
to also grant significant commercial advantages them.
During the First World War (1914-1918),
the Empire ottoman (ally in Germany) exterminates most of the
Armenian population, which resists its domination for a long time; it is
true a génocide. The defeat of Germany in 1918 involves the bursting of the Empire ottoman.
Under the impulse of Mustafa Kemal Pasha (the Atatürk future), Turkey
is created in 1923 on the remainders
of the empire.
The Middle East Today
In the years 1920, the Middle East
consists of a multitude of States, often under the authority of the European
powers. As from the years 1930, the area knows a nationalist agitation in
favour of an Arab unit. It is at that time that the Arab States reach
independence.
The israélo-Palestinian conflict
The shortly after the Second World war
(1939-1945), the general assembly of UNO decides to give a ground to the Jewish
people which have just undergone a génocide. She votes a plan of division of
Palestine, which allows the creation of the State of Israel in May 1948. However, the Palestinians react
to the loss of part of their country and they are constant in their claim by
the countries of the Arab League (an
organization created in 1945). Thus the
conflict israélo-Arabic in 1948 begins.
In 1964, the Palestinians organize their
claim of a Palestinian State around the
PLO (the Palestine Liberation
Organization), carried out by Yasser Arafat. The conflict israélo-Arabic
becomes the israélo-Palestinian conflict. Since 1987, the occupied
Palestinian —territories since 1967 by
the Israelis — are raised: it is Intifada,
i.e. "the war of the stones". Israel and the PLO recognizes
officially the existence of the other in 1993; the creation of a Palestinian
State is then possible. However, the process of peace does not manage to
succeed, and second Intifada is launched in 2000. In 2005, a new process
of peace is set up, Israel agreeing
to withdraw its colonies of the occupied Palestinian territories.
An international stake
As from the years 1950-1960, the Middle
East is marked by the rise of the
panarabism (the defense of a unit of
the Arab world). The exploitation of the oil reservoirs makes it possible the countries of the Gulf
(countries of the Arabique peninsula) to experience a spectacular economic
development. But oil is also the principal
source of conflicts in the Middle East. It is coveted by foreign
oil companies, which leads the
intervention of the Western countries to obtain an access to these oil reserves.
With the centre even of the Middle East, certain States try to dominate the
area, like Syria de Hafez el-Assad (between 1970 and 2000) or Iraq de Saddam
Hussein (between 1979 and 2003).
In second half of the xx E
century, the Middle East also makes
great strides of Islam. Thus,
in 1979, the Shah of Iran (the sovereign) is reversed by an
Islamic Revolution; a religious dignitary, the ayatollah Khomeiny, becomes the supreme guide of the country
until his death (in 1989). Fearing an expansion of the Islamic Revolution in
Iraq, Saddam Hussein enters in war against Iran in 1980. After having fought
Iran during eight years, Iraq is opposed to Koweït about the price oil and
invades the country (in 1990). Starting from this event, several international
coalitions intervene in the area,
under pretext of protect the oil resources or to defend the freedom of
oppressed people: in 1990, at the time of the war of the Gulf against Iraq; in
2003, at the time of the war in Iraq which sees the fall of the dictatorship of
Saddam Hussein.
TO GO FURTHER
? the Middle East
? the old Middle East
? Mésopotamie
? medieval Islam
? crusades
? colonizing Europe to the xix E century
? the First World War
? the Second World war
? decolonization
? characters: Cyrus the Large one –Nabuchodonosor II –Darios the Large one –Artaxerxès I er –Alexandre the Large one –Saladin –Soliman the Magnificent
