The Middle East Conflict

• Difficulties in developing a free and independent Jewish state

  Not specified
• Major source of political power in Egypt

  Not specified
• How the state of Egypt developed

  Not specified
• Broader issues in Middle Eastern politics

  Not specified
• World War I established new nations out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, including Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq
• Splitting into these new countries added complexities as many groups were combined and separated that had previously coexisted, including the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam
• The new territories were set up under the mandate system, with the British controlling Iraq and Palestine, and the French controlling Syria and Lebanon
• These mandates resulted in the establishment of a few new states, including Israel, a redistricted Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon
• During the interwar period, a group called the Zionists led a movement that called for the formation of an independent Jewish state
• After the Holocaust, support for an independent Israel grew
• In 1948, the UN divided the already extant Palestine into Israel and Palestine, which were Jewish and Arab, respectively
• This action embittered the surrounding Muslim states, who immediately invaded the fledgling nation of Israel
• Golda Meir was Israel's fourth prime minister, born in Ukraine and later emigrating to the US and then British-controlled Palestine
• Meir helped negotiate for the Jews in Palestine with the British authorities, and after Israel was founded, she negotiated deals to acquire weapons
• Israel found itself in several wars while trying to establish its place in the world, including the War of Independence, Sinai Campaign, Six-Day War, War of Attrition, and Yom Kippur War
• During the Yom Kippur War, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on the Jewish Day of Atonement, catching Meir and her advisors off guard
• After the high losses, Israeli intelligence was blamed for not catching the threat to Israel soon enough, and the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces was forced to resign
• Gamal Abdel Nasser staged a coup in 1952 to take control of Egypt and oust British influence
• Nasser implemented agrarian reform laws, banned all political parties except his own, and used Arab nationalism to gain support
• Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which was challenged by the British, Americans, and Israelis
• Nasser promoted Pan-Arabism to unify Arab countries, which pushed him closer to the Soviet Union than the US
• Anwar Sadat succeeded Nasser, oversaw peace treaties with Israel, and promoted a multi-party system in Egypt
• Sadat's term ended with uprisings in Egypt and his assassination in 1981, after which Hosni Mubarak ruled until the Arab Spring revolution of 2011-2012
• What was a complication of creating countries in the Middle East after World War I? 

  Merging different groups of Islamic beliefs
• In 1948, what did the UN divide the area of Palestine into? (Choose all that apply.)

  Jewish Israel

  Arab Palestine
• What was the first country to accept Jews as refugees from Germany?

  The Dominican Republic
• How did nationalizing the Suez Canal provide political power to Nasser? (Choose all that apply.)

  It ensured that all money was controlled by Nasser and Egypt.

  It continued Egyptian economic power in the region.
• Which of the following states were created after World War II? (Choose all that apply.)

  Syria

  Palestine
• Which of the following were changes made in the new Egyptian constitution of 1956? (Choose all that apply.)

  Expanding voting rights to include more people

  Limiting political involvement to one party
• What is a kibbutz?

  A collective farm in Palestine