Dividing the Middle East - Setting the Board - Extra History - #5
Added 2020-05-29 17:31:00 +0000 UTCThe rivalry between Sharif Hussein and Ibn Saud finally spills out into fighting. The Balfour Declaration remains wildly controversial. And a lot of blood is going to be spilled over imperial rule.
Last chance to ask questions directly to Rob for the Lies episode here
Comments
This both makes me realize how recent (relatively speaking) all of the current nations of the middle east were formed, and also how little I've known about it. Man, Europe really had a habit of screwing stuff up in other parts of the world...
Sientir
2020-05-29 19:19:36 +0000 UTCYou guys gave slight mention of the Armenien issues with the Ottomans, did you originally plan to talk about the Armenian Genocide and the effect it had here, like any tensions and stuff? Or was that a separate event from this general idea that had little effect on the Middle East? Just wondering. Other question, when they saw how hard it was to maintain control, was there anyone who suggested outright leaving the area to its own cause trying to maintain and control the Middle East was a bad idea and/or useless?
BlueFanfictionInc
2020-05-29 18:57:31 +0000 UTCHere is how far I have got with this...it will probably have to wait before I resume work. 1904 21st October In the Kingdom of Great Britain, while En Route from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok to Reinforce the Russian 1st Pacific Squadron Stationed at Port Arthur, Manchuria, the Captain of a Russian Supply Ship Mistakes a Passing Svealandic Ship for a Japanese Torpedo Boat, Despite being more than 20,000 Miles from Japan, and Radioes that he is under Attack. Later that same Night, in heavy Fog, the Officers of the Russian Baltic Fleet Sight a Fleet of British Fishing Trawlers from Kingston upon Hull, Read their Signals Incorrectly, and Classify them as Japanese Torpedo Boats. The Russian Warships Illuminate them with their Searchlights and Open Fire. Because their Nets are down, the Trawlers cannot Flee. The British Trawler Crane is Sunk and its Captain and First Mate are both Killed and Six others are Injured. In the Confusion, the Russian Cruisers Aurora and Dmitrii Donskoi are taken for Japanese Warships and are Bombarded by Seven Russian Battleships Sailing in Formation, Killing a Sailor and a Russian Orthodox Priest. After 20 Minutes’ Firing, the Fishermen see a Blue Light Signal on One of the Warships ~ the Order to Cease Firing. 22nd October In the Kingdom of Great Britain, some British Newspapers Call the Russian Fleet “Pirates” and Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky is Heavily Criticised for not leaving the British Sailors Lifeboats. The Editorial of the Morning’s Times is Particularly Scathing: “It is almost Inconceivable that any Men Calling themselves Sailors ~ no Matter how Frightened they may be ~ could spend 20 Minutes Bombarding a Fleet of Fishing Boats without Discovering the Nature of their Target.” The British Government Demands that the Baltic Sea Fleet stop to Aid the Investigation into the Incident. Tsar Nicholas II wants the Fleet in the East as quickly as possible and Demands that the British Postpone the Investigation, however the British are having none of it and even Place Troops on the Russian Ships to make sure that they Follow the British Fleet as they Return to the Port City of Portsmouth, Hampshire. 1906 10th August In the Caliphate of Arabia, already during the Secret Negotiations for the Defensive Alliance, the German Ambassador Hans von Wangenheim and the Arabian Minister of War, Mehmet Djavid, Agree that the German Mediterranean Division, Consisting of the SMS Goeben and the SMS Breslau, will be sent to Support the Arab Fleet. However, has made the Agreement without the Consent of his Government, which Seeks to Preserve its Neutrality. Admiral Wilhelm Souchon Misinterprets the Situation and Moves Towards Arabia anyway, while a French Fleet is already Hunting for his Ships. The “Mediterranean Division” Reaches the Levantine Sea, where the Arabians Demand the Abolition of German Trade Privileges to let the Fleet Cruise into Arab Waters and Wangenheim Agrees. By Granting the German Fleet such Permission, the Arabs Transgress the Rules of Neutrality, so the Grand Vizier, Said Halim, Pretends the Acquisition of these Ships. The Germans Reject this Proposal and Demand Entry into the War from the Arabian Empire. The Arabs Ignore this and Announce the Purchase of the Two Ships. With Eggs on their Faces, the Germans are Forced to Agree. Since the Arabs do not have the Appropriate Personnel, the German Crews are kept on Board. 1907 In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a Young Adolf Hitler leaves Linz, Hoping to Live and Study Fine Art in the City of Vienna, State of Vienna, Financed by Orphan’s Benefits and by Support from his Mother. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Adolf Hitler Applies to Enter the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, however they Rejects his Application. The Director, Recognising that the Young Hitler has a Talent, Suggests that he Enroll in the Academy’s School of Architecture, however that will Require Enrolling in a Secondary School from which Hitler has Failed to Gain a Certificate and is Unwilling to Rejoin. 11th February In the Kingdom of Great Britain, the SS Robert E. Lee, a Confederate Luxury Liner carrying Passengers between Great Britain and the Confederacy is Torpedoed and Sunk by an American Submarine off the Coast of Ireland. 123 Confederate Civilians have Drowned and Calls for Revenge are Heard throughout the Country. The C.S. is Congress is Shocked and Interventionists have Gained some Power. 1908 5th February In the German Empire, using the last of his Money, Adolf Hitler Buys a Train Ticket to Munich, Bavaria, Intending to Enlist in the Bavarian Infantry and Avoid Conscription into the Austro-Hungarian Army, which he Considers to be a “Babylon of Races.” By Chance, he happens to share a Bench with Günther Luck, an Officer in the Imperial German Navy who is on Home Leave after Active Service. The Garrulus Luck, Impressive in his Dress Uniform, Regails the Impressionable Hitler with Tales of Battles at Sea, and of Germany’s Naval Buildup. As Luck Explains, the huge Ships Sliding down the ways Mean Rapid Promotion for any Young Man with the Intelligence to Grasp it. The Senior Chief Boatswain is very Persuasive and somewhat Generous, as Hitler Decides to Accompany him [at Luck’s Expense] Back to the German Port City of Kiel, where the Austrian Enlists in the Kaiserliche Marine as a Seaman. 1912 2nd April In the Imperial State of Iran, Representatives of the Imperial State of Iran, the German Empire, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the State of Israel, the Arabian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Sultanate of Turkiye, the Transcaucasian Federal Socialist Republic, the State of Kurdistan, the Arab Kingdom of Syria, the Republic of Phoenicia, the People's Republic of Assyria, the Republic of Sawad, the Republic of Jazira, the Republic of Sumeria, the Emirate of Jabal Shammar, and the Arab and Islamic Kingdom of Hejaz Sign the Treaty of Tehran, Officially bringing to an End the Arabian Theatre of the Fifth Great Global War, but, in Reality, Fighting will continue for Two more Years as Various Nations try and Grab as much Unclaimed Land as they can. Under the Terms of the Treaty: 1]The People's Republic of Iran will be Dissolved and Annexed into the Imperial State of Iran, as will be the Afghan Democratic Republic. Officially, Great Britain will Return the Oil Fields, which it had Occupied Early on in the War, to Iran, however, in Reality, British Workers will Remain for many Years and most of the Profits from the Oil Fields will go to Britain, leaving the Iranians with very little, and this will have Consequences later on in the Century. 2]Britain, for its Troubles, will be Allowed to Annex most of the Southern Coast of the Arabian Peninsular, which will become the British Colony of South Arabia, all Except for an Eastern Region near the Red Sea, Centred around the Port City of Taiz, which will be Independent as the Kingdom of Yemen, a Neutral “Buffer Zone” between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Arab and Islamic Kingdom of Hejaz. 3]Germany, for its Part, will Annex the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and the State of Qatar, which will be Incorporated into its German Mittelafrika Colony. 4]Egypt will be Allowed to Reincorporate the Sinai Peninsular as well as the Russian Port City of Djibouti, but the Gaza Strip and Palestine [and the Christian Holy Sites therein] will be Placed under a British Mandate, which will Govern until Britain Feels that Palestine is “ready” for Self ~ Determination. Egypt, which Feels it has a better Claim to Palestine, Strongly Protests this Clause, and, when those Protests fall on Deaf Ears, the Egyptian Delegation Marches out of the Conference and Refuses to Ratify the Treaty. Israel, which Claims the City of Jerusalem, now inside Palestine, as its Capital, is also Insulted by this Clause, and their shared Opposition to British Rule in Palestine will have the Effect of bringing Egypt and Israel Closer together, Forging a Bond between the Two Peoples. 5]The Defeated Arabian Empire is Reduced to a Single Region ~ its Ancient Homeland of Nejd, in Eastern Arabia, which is Centred on the City of Riyadh, and will be Expected to Grant Christians and other Non ~ Muslims Living within its Territory full Citizenship, as well as Pay Yearly War Reparations to the Victorious Powers. Caliph Abdulaziz Ibn Muhammad Al Saud will be Required to Drop “Caliph of Islam” from his List of Titles. To Reflect this new Reality, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud ~ who has to Accept a Demotion to the Rank of Emir ~ Changes his Nation’s Name to the Kingdom of Nejd. The rest of his Former Empire is Carved up between the Victorious Central Powers. 6] The Islands of Crete and Cyprus, whose Return had been One of the Main Reasons why Byzantium had Joined the Central Powers in the First Place, are indeed Returned, which the Byzantines Feel is Suitable Compensation for the “Loss” of the Holy Land. 7]The Sultanate of Turkiye is Allowed to Annex the tiny Region of Adjara, but aside from that its Borders Remain mostly unchanged. 8] The Transcaucasian Federal Socialist Republic will be Recognised as Independent, but will be Required to Withdraw its Forces from Adjara and Northern Iran, but will be Allowed to Annex the Region of Talyshstan. 9] Northern Syria will Gain its Independence as the State of Kurdistan, Providing a Homeland for the Kurdish Peoples with the City of Diyarbakır as its Capital, with the Remainder of Syria becoming the Arab Kingdom of Syria, Centred around the City of Damascus, and will be Allowed to Annex the Northern Half of the Transjordan Region. 10] The Lebanon Region, however, will be Broken off and Granted Independence as the State of Phoenicia, a Clause that Angers many Syrian Nationalists as they Consider Lebanon to be a Part of Syria, and this will have Consequences later in the Century. 11] The Mesopotamian Region is Divided between Four new Nations: the already ~ Independent United Sumerian States, in the Southern Region Centred on Kuwait City, is Granted Official Recognition, the Northeast, Centred around the City of Mosul [which is Renamed Nineveh after the Ancient Ruined City nearby] will become the People's Republic of Assyria, and will Provide a safe Haven for Middle Eastern Christians. The Northwest, Centred on the City of Tikrit, will become the Republic of Jazira, which is mostly Agricultural and has Economic Links with Iran. The rest of the Southwest, Centred on the City of Baghdad, will become the Republic of Sawad, will be Connected to the Persian Gulf and India Trade, but will only have Access to the Ocean through the Port City of Umm Qasr, its Sole Deep Water Port, all the others being inside its Southern Neighbour, Sumeria. 12] The Holy Land is Divided Three ways ~ as Mentioned Earlier, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are Placed under a British Mandate, while Galilee, the Jezreel Valley, and the Coastal Plains will become Independent as the State of Israel, Intended to become a National Homeland for the Jews, with the City of Haifa Serving as its De Jure Capital, although Claiming Sovereignty over British Palestine, and Egypt is Granted the Sinai Peninsular. 13] Transjordan, which many Jews Consider to be a Part of Israel, will be Split between the Arab Kingdom of Syria and the Arab and Islamic Kingdom of Hejaz, with the North going to Syria and the South going to Hejaz. 14] The Arabian Peninsular will be Divided into Three Unequal Nations ~ in the North, the Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Centred around the City of Ha'il, will be Dependent mostly on Oil Grants from the Byzantines, the Kingdom of Nejd, as Mentioned before, will be Restricted to its Namesake Region, while the newly ~ Formed and Islamic Kingdom of Hejaz, Centred around the Holy City of Mecca, will be Allowed to Annex most of Western Arabia and Southern Transjordan, and King Hussein ibn Ali will also be Granted the Title “Caliph of Islam,” after the Egyptian Ruler, Pharaoh Thutmose X Shows no Interest in the Title. Finally, Free Elections will be held in Phoenicia, Israel, Syria, Kurdistan, Jazira, Sawad, Sumer, and Jabal Shammar [Assyria and Transcaucasia are already along Communist Lines and Hejaz has long been Ruled as an Islamic Absolute Monarchy] within Two to Three Years of the Signing of the Treaty to Determine whether the Governments thereof shall be Constitutional Monarchies or Republics. If the Constitutional Monarchy Option is chosen, then Rival Claimants must Submit their Cases for Arbitration by the Council for Economic Assistance Organisation, whose Decision is Final. The United Sumerian States leaves the War and begins Consolidating its new Lands. 1914 30th May The State of Israel Announces that it is done with Expanding and leaves the War. 9th June The Arab and Islamic Kingdom of Hejaz Announces that it has finished Expanding into the Land Granted to it in the Treaty of Tehran and leaves the War. 28th June In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his Wife, Sophie, Visit the City of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, to Watch Military Manoeuvers. At 10:10 A.M., as their Convoy nears the Ćuprija Bridge, Nedeljko Čabrinović steps forwards and throws a Bomb at the Archduke’s Car. Ferdinand sees it and Dives behind the Door of the Car as the Bomb Passes over him and Bounces into the next Street where it Explodes, Destroying the Car Following them and Injuring 20 People. The Motorcade Races Back the way it came, its Sirens Screaming, and the City begins to Lockdown. Čabrinović Swallows the Cyanide Capsule he’s been carrying and Jumps off the Bridge and into the River Miljacka in a “you’ll never take me Alive!” Gesture, not Realising that the River is only 10 Centimetres Deep, and the Suicide Pills had been Bought on the Cheap and are well Past their Shelf Lives; it makes him Sick but it does not Kill him, and he only Breaks his Leg in the fall. So Čabrinović sits quietly Vomiting into the River as the Police Stroll down to take him very much Alive. Another of the Assassins, 19 ~ Year ~ old Gavrilo Princip, Watches the Cars going by, his Heart Sinking. “So, it’s done,” he Thinks to himself. “It’s off. The Archduke is Alive. The Assassination has Failed.” He is pretty Bummed out. His Hopes of being Immortalised in the Halls of Serbian Heroes have been Shattered. Overall, it’s been a pretty lousy Day. As the Imperial Motorcade Drove Past, Two of their Accomplices had given into Fear, another’s Pistol had Jammed, and a Third, seeing the Duchess sitting up in the Back, had taken Pity on her and couldn’t bring himself to pull the Trigger. So he goes off to Pout, Thinking, “maybe a Snack will make me Feel better?” In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Back at City Hall, the Archduke and the Mayor are having Words. The Mayor Proposes that the Archduke and the Duchess should continue their Trip as Planned, but the Archduke Thunders Back, “are you Crazy? You’d have us Visit Museums while Bombs Explode in your Streets?” Instead, he Suggests they Immediately Visit the Hospital where the Wounded were Compensationnobody Remembers to tell the Archduke’s Personal Chauffeur, who has come along for the Trip and who does not Know his way around Sarajevo. And so, as they’re making their way around the City, the Archduke’s Chauffeur makes a wrong Turn, onto from Franz Josef Street, where Gavrilo Princip is Eating his Consolation Sandwich. Princip Immediately gets up and Fires Two Shots from his FN Model 1910 Pistol. Seeing this, the Archduke’s Chauffeur quickly Reverses, and the Bullets Harmlessly Pass over the Imperial Car as the Gendarmes Wrestle the Young Man by the Car to the Ground. A Man asks the Archduke if he is all Right, and Franz Replies, “it’s nothing. It’s nothing.” Overall, for Franz, today has been a very bad Day ~ he’s been Bombed, Shot at, and, to make Matters worse, he has lost his Temper in front of the Mayor of Sarajevo! The Arab Kingdom of Syria Announces that it is done with Expanding and leaves the War in an Elaborate Ceremony. 23rd July The Austro-Hungarian Empire sends the Kingdom of Serbia a Warning that they will take Military Action if Serbia continues to Support Pro ~ Serbian Nationalists Operating within Austria-Hungary.
Martin Verran
2020-05-29 18:00:03 +0000 UTC
