History You Must Know

 

History You Must Know 

The Fall of Empires and the Birth of New Nations (1919 and Beyond)

Germany’s Defeat in WWI (1919 CE) 

The year was 1919. The Great War—World War I—had ended in 1918 with Germany’s defeat. The victorious Allies (Britain, France and USA) imposed the Treaty of Versailles on Germany, forcing it to accept full blame, pay massive reparations (132 billion gold marks) and lose territory. Humiliated and economically crippled, Germany seethed with resentment—a bitterness that would later fuel the rise of Adolf Hitler.

The Fall of the Muslim Caliphate (Ottoman Empire) 

Meanwhile, the once-mighty Ottoman Caliphate, which had ruled vast Muslim lands for six centuries, lay shattered. Having sided with Germany in the war, the Ottomans were defeated. The Allies carved up their empire like a feast:

- Britain and France secretly signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) dividing the Middle East between them  

- The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) dismantled Ottoman lands, leaving only a rump state in Anatolia (modern Turkey)  

- In 1924, Turkey’s new secular leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished the Caliphate, ending a 1,300-year Islamic tradition

The Sharif of Mecca and His Sons  

[Sharif Hussein stabbed Muslim Ummah in the back ]

Amid this chaos, Sharif Hussein of Mecca, a Hashemite leader, had allied with Britain during WWI hoping for an independent Arab kingdom. His sons were installed as kings in newly created states:

1. Faisal I – Made King of Iraq (1921) by the British. His monarchy lasted until 1958 when a bloody coup overthrew his grandson, King Faisal II  

2. Abdullah I – Became Emir (later King) of Transjordan (1921), which later became Jordan. His descendants still rule today. 

3. Ali – Briefly ruled the Hejaz (western Arabia) but was driven out by the Saudis in 1925

The Rise of Saudi Arabia (1932)  

While the Hashemites lost Arabia, a fierce desert warrior, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, conquered rival tribes with his Wahhabi allies. In 1925, he captured Mecca and Medina. By 1932, he unified most of the peninsula, declaring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—an oil-rich monarchy that lasts to this day.

Saddam Hussein’s Rise in Iraq  

Iraq, under British control, saw coups and instability. In 1968, the Ba’ath Party seized power. A young ruthless enforcer named Saddam Hussein climbed the ranks, becoming President in 1979. He ruled with an iron fist, launching wars against Iran (1980–88) and Kuwait (1990) before being toppled by the US in 2003.

Three Key Agreements on Muslim Lands  

1. Sykes-Picot (1916) – Britain and France divided the Ottoman Arab lands into spheres of influence.  [Secret Agreement-1]

2. Balfour Declaration (1917) – Britain promised a "Jewish homeland in Palestine" angering Arabs. [Secret Agreement-2]

3. San Remo Agreement (1920) – Formalised European mandates over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine

4. Promised Sharif Hussein kingship over Arabia. [Secret Agreement-3]

The Creation of Israel (1948)  

After WWII, Jewish survivors of the Holocaust sought refuge in Palestine. Zionist movements pushed for a Jewish state. In 1947, the UN proposed partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Jews accepted; Arabs rejected it. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared independence. Neighbouring Arab nations attacked but lost. Over 700,000 Palestinians were displaced—the Nakba ("Catastrophe"). Israel survived and conflicts continue to this day.

Epilogue: A Legacy of Broken Promises  

The aftermath of WWI reshaped the Muslim world—colonial powers drew borders, monarchies rose and fell and the Caliphate vanished. The wounds of these decisions still bleed in today’s wars and unrest.

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Links to important videos: 

1. Yasir Qadhi