CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST HISTORY

Contemporary Middle East History

Contemporary Middle East History

Question 1

Difficulties Faced By The Middle Eastern Empires:

By 1300, religious leaders began to exert greater control over Islamic culture. In the Middle East, philosophical rationalism met resistance from religious conservatives. Mysticism and Islamic legalist traditions enjoyed greater currency than did the pursuit of scientific discoveries. As the caliphate declined, landlords exercised greater authority over the peasantry (Caleb 2002). Agricultural productivity declined, as did tax revenue. European merchants began to challenge the Arabs in the Mediterranean, if not yet in the Indian Ocean. No total collapse of Islamic civilization occurred, as it did in the ancient West. The Ottomans rapidly took over most of the lands formerly held by the Abbasid caliphate.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, three Muslim empires founded by Turkic-speaking nomadic groups from central Asia emerged in western and southern Asia. The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires took advantage of the turmoil left in the wake of the Mongol collapse and Timur's wars, as well as making good use of cannons and muskets. While generally tolerant of non-Muslim faiths, these empires were divided over the Sunni-Shi'a split. Scientific and technical developments were less impressive than during the Abassid era, and Islamic society in general looked inward, though some leaders were mindful of the need to counter the increasingly expansionist West.

Question 2

Reactions Of The People Of The Middle East To Western Incursion:

In the past where the world seemed to be centralized in the Middle Eastern/Europe area trade routes from Europe to china went through the Middle East making some of Middle Eastern cities famous for historical foundations. Eurasia benefited from the trade routes the most but the most famous of all was the Silk Road, from China to Europe through some Middle Eastern countries. Silver from Iran was popular as well as the more famous silk from the silkworm in China.

The first dynasty was the Umayyad dynasty that greatly expanded the Arab-Islam territories westward throughout North Africa, north into Spain, and eastward to the borders of India and China. The second major dynasty was the Abassid dynasty. During their rule, the Muslims gained control of Jerusalem and angered the Christians. The fall of the Abassid Empire came about because it had grown so large that the Abassids began to lose control and the Seljuks, a Turkish people, gained control over much of Asia Minor (Cortright 2002). The Persian Empire also broke free during this time. The empire of the Seljuk Turks later broke down and the Ottoman Turks began to absorb other states, marking the birth of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire quickly began extending its territories. When the Ottomans took control of Constantinople, Byzantinians turned to the European kingdoms and asked them to send help against the armies of the Muslim Turks.

Question 3

The Great-Power Competition Over Persia Before 1907:

Italy resented France because they prevented the setting up of Italian colonies, and the British and Russians clashed over who should have control in Persia, but were both worried that ...