History: The Middle East 1860 onwards

This is a lecture style course. The Middle East is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office. However, it became more widely known when American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term in 1902 to designate the areas between Arabia and India.

The term came into widespread usage as a replacement of the term Near East (as opposed to the Far East) beginning in the early 20th century. The term "Middle East" has led to some confusion over its changing definitions, and being seen as too Eurocentric. The region includes the vast majority of the territories included in the closely associated definition of West Asia, but without the South Caucasus, and additionally includes all of Egypt (not just the Sinai) and all of Turkey (not just the part barring East Thrace).

Most Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world. The most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Turkey, and Iran, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area. The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, with the geopolitical importance of the region being recognized for millennia. Several major religions have their origins in the Middle East, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The politics of the area during the early nineteenth century had been dominated by the career of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, but from the middle of the century the major European powers found themselves dragged into the conflicts of the area and even being responsible for the creation of significant issues. This became particularly significant after 1859 when Napoleon III began a policy of interference in Syria and Lebanon.

Themes to be discussed will include : Long term Great Power involvement; Economic factors; Internal religious differences; Internal political rivalries; and Population movements.

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