PSC 321 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: European Colonialism, Arab Nationalism, Indirect Rule
18 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
European Colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa
The Emergence of the Modern Middle East
● Fall of the Ottoman Empire
○ WWI - Ottoman Empire allies with Germany
● European colonialism (19th and 20th centuries)
Why Study Colonial History?
● Political boundaries and violent conflict
● Identity politics and nationalism
● State building
Legacies of Colonial Rule
● Various dimensions:
○ Short v. long term
○ Political / economy
○ Division of territories / colonial practices
Variation in European Colonialism
● Timing (two waves)
○ 19th century and early 20th century (Pre-WWI) - North Africa
○ 20th century (Post-WWII) - Ottoman provinces in the Middle East
● Duration
○ 20-130 years
● Type
○ Mandates
■ Control over a territory for a transitory period (League of Nations)
■ Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon
○ Protectorates
■ Territory governed but not formally annexed by a stronger state
■ Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia
○ Colonies
■ Formally annexed; settled (Algeria, Aden, Libya)
● Method of control (direct or indirect rule)
Enduring Legacies of Colonialism?
● Unresolved national issues
○ Balfour declaration
● Different nationalisms
○ Nationalist movements against colonial rule (state-specific)
○ Arab nationalism
● Colonial practices
○ How they rule the country
■ Divide and rule
● Used by the French in Morocco, Syria, and Lebanon
● Syria (administrative divisions)
● Promote fragmentation
● Exacerbate divisions between sectarian groups
Document Summary
European colonialism in the middle east and north africa. Wwi - ottoman empire allies with germany. 19th century and early 20th century (pre-wwi) - north africa. 20th century (post-wwii) - ottoman provinces in the middle east. Control over a territory for a transitory period (league of nations) Territory governed but not formally annexed by a stronger state. Method of control (direct or indirect rule) Used by the french in morocco, syria, and lebanon. Colonial practices varied when it comes to: Allocation of resources (ex: relative spending on education v. security) A human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory) Different starting points (state institutions prior to independence) Investing lots of resources into building the military. Growth of the military and military expenditures as a % of gdp (in some countries more than others) As a % of gdp - higher than expenditures on education and health.
