The Middle East underwent significant transformations during and after World War I, fundamentally reshaping its political, social, and territorial landscape. The period marked a crucial shift from Ottoman Empire control to European mandates, setting the stage for modern Middle Eastern geopolitics.
• The war resulted in the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and new territorial divisions under British and French control
• The Sykes-Picot Agreement and Balfour Declaration established new political boundaries and promised a Jewish homeland
• These wartime agreements created lasting tensions between Arab and Jewish populations
• European powers implemented colonial control similar to their approach in Africa
• The modern Middle Eastern nation-state system emerged from these WWI-era arrangements
