Background Information On The Sykes Picot Agreement

Background Information on the Sykes-Picot Agreement After the war broke out in the summer of 1914, the Allies—Britain, France and Russia—held many discussions regarding the future of the Ottoman Empire, now fighting on the side of Germany and the Central Powers, and its vast expanse of territory in the Middle East, Arabia and southern-central Europe. In March 1915, Britain signed a secret agreement with Russia, whose designs on the empire’s territory had led the Turks to join forces with Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1914. By its terms, Russia would annex the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and retain control of the Dardanelles (the crucially important strait connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean) and the Gallipoli peninsula,†¦show more content†¦On May 19, 1916 representatives of Great Britain and France secretly reach an accord, known as the Sykes-Picot agreement. â€Å"The Sykes-Picot Agreement†, officially known as the â€Å"Asia Minor Agreement† was a secret agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom(Britain) and France, with the assent aid of Russia, defining their biased proposed spheres of influence that provide them with an advantage of gaining control in the Middle East should the Triple Entente succeeded in dethroning the mighty Ottoman Empire during the first World War back in early 1919. The negotiation of this treaty/agreement occurred between November of 1915 and March of the year 1916. The agreement finally came to a close on the 19th of May 1916. The agreement effectively used, implied and put into action the famous imperialistic tactic of the Europeans: â€Å"Divide and Rule†. This agreement divided the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire outside the Arabian peninsula into areas of future British and French colonization using their advantage in control and/or influence. Under Sykes-Picot, the Syrian coast and much of modern-day Lebanon went to France; Britain would take direct control over central and southern Mesopotamia, around the Baghdad and Basra provinces. Palestine would have an international administration, as other Christian powers, namely Russia, held an interest in this region. The rest of the territory in question—a huge area