Colonial Rule And Nationalism In The Middle East

Full Name Professor Subject Date Colonial Rule and Nationalism in the Middle East The history of the Great War allows us to understand how the violence of the past brought changes in the Middle East. After the World War I, the losses in this part took a serious form: the lands were occupied by superpowers, the society and economy were destroyed, and people were killed in a large number. In this way, the experiences of World War I in the Middle East are perhaps more akin to the experiences of World War II all over the world. The social, psychological and economic effects were devastating and deep. The 18th and 19th centuries were the seedtime of colonial rule and nationalism in the Middle East. The region’s linguistic, religious and geographic heterogeneity provided the basis for numerous competing nationalist movements. Colonialism is the policy of a state looking to retain or extend its authority and dominance over other territories, with the aim of exploiting or developing them and allowing them to modernize in terms of religion, health and economics. The Middle East colonial era spanned from 15th century to 18th century when modern Saudi Arabia and other states established their own colonies outside the UAE. It should be noticed that nationalism is a social, economic and political system characterized by maintaining and gaining self-governance. As compared to colonialism, nationalism aims to provide freedom to the people and allows them to live their lives according to their own rules and regulations. It is further oriented towards developing national identities based on similarities such as race, political goals, culture, religion, and language. Unlike colonialism, nationalism involves a sense of satisfaction and pride in a nation’s achievements and is directly linked to the concepts of patriotism. In the 19th century, nationalism was not being supported everywhere and the Middle East tried to dominate the world through power and wealth. However, the trend has been changed nowadays, and the nations are free to set their own terms. Nationalism is given far more importance than colonialism and does not distinguish people on the basis of their religion, race, background, and language. During 17th and 18th centuries, the British East India Company became an integral part of the British economy. It was responsible for transferring goods from India to Europe through Cape of Good Hope’s maritime routes. Modern colonialism began with the Age of Discover...