Nation-states

How were the modern nation-states of the Middle East created? Nation-States article

The Ottoman Empire had to give some of their Muslim territory in 1774 to Russia because of the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca. The Middle East borrowed money from European countries to develop and this put them in debt and allowed for control by Europeans. After World War I, the British were supposed to grant the Arab nations their independence. Instead, the British and French made a deal called the Skyes-Picot Agreement that split the Middle East up between themselves. The nationalist Turks created a new state when the Ottoman Empire collapsed under Mustafa Kemal that pushed for westernization. The King of Egypt ended all influences of the British. He tried to unite Egypt and Syria into a single United Arab Republic. This enterprise lasted a few years. Most of the government in the regions are dominated by a single ethnic and religious group. There are still groups that struggle with the concept of maintaining their cultural identity. Some groups are still trying to claim their independence.