Hey, Mia! I hope you brought a lot of layers because we are about to trek across expansive
deserts and icy mountain ranges as we travel from Morocco to Afghanistan and beyond.
Today, we are exploring why Europeans became involved in Western Asia, their imperial control,
and how these traditionally Muslim lands resisted European influence. That's a lot of territory to
get through, so we'd better get walking. Come on, Mia. Oh, see, we're starting on a beach in
the Mediterranean. Ah, this journey is gonna be easy. [chuckles] Did you know that much of the
Mediterranean region was once part of the Ottoman Empire, stretching from northern Hungary around
the Black Sea, south to Egypt, and across Northern Africa to Morocco? After the 16th century,
Ottoman control over the region dwindled due to inflation, a succession of weak sultans,
and nationalist uprisings. European nations began to see the Mediterranean as a potential land grab.
While Europeans and Western Asians had clashed in the past, namely in the Crusades, a 200-year-long
so-called "holy war" during the medieval period, 19th and early 20th century imperialism in
Muslim lands would create lasting political implications that are still relevant today.
As we take this journey together, our goal is to answer the following guiding questions: How
did "the Great Game" affect Afghanistan? How did economic imperialism impact Persia and Afghanistan
in the 19th and early 20th centuries? How did Britain come to control Egypt? Be sure to remember
this big-picture question along the way: How could European imperialism in the 19th and early 20th
centuries have planted the seeds for anti-Western sentiment in Western Asia and North Africa?
Alright, Mia,
before we move on to our next destination, let's look at the map. Here we are in Morocco, and the
highlighted regions are Western Asia and North Africa. Do you notice any reason that European
countries would have been interested in these territories? Yeah, they all have tons of strategic
locations. For example, the weakening Ottoman Empire controlled access to the Mediterranean
and Atlantic Sea trade. Merchants in landlocked countries in Europe and Asia had to travel through
Ottoman lands, where their goods were taxed. Oil was discovered in Persia, or modern Iran,
around 1900, which made the area more desirable for newly industrialized European powers.
Time to travel far across the map all [extended for emphasis] the way
over here to Afghanistan. [rain, thunder] Woah! Mia! Batten down the hatches. Woo!
Here in Afghanistan, Russia and Britain became locked in what is known as the Great Game,
a political and diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires
over Afghanistan and neighboring territories in Central and South
Asia that lasted for much of the 19th century. [boxing bell: ding-ding-ding]
Russia wanted access to natural resources in India, which Britain already had economic control
over, while Britain wanted Afghanistan as a buffer between Russia and India.
Both countries became involved in the territory militarily, and Britain eventually defeated
Russia enough to expand their colonial territory into Afghanistan. Afghanistan
resisted British rule and consistently demanded independence. Britain finally
withdrew from the country in 1881 and agreed to limit their empire to the Khyber Pass in 1921.
Mia and I are going to rest our feet from all this walking while you answer
the following question in your PDF: How did the Great Game affect Afghanistan?
Next stop, Persia. This one's
not too far away, we just have to make it over Noshaq, a
24,000-foot mountain. [blizzard winds rage] I-I'm sorry, Mia. [zip] [heavy sigh]
Well, we made it.
Many European and Southwest Asian countries competed to influence Persia,
but today we'll continue to focus on the struggle between Russia and Britain. Russia wanted access
to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, so they pushed their military into Persian territory.
Persia was slowly defeated and was forced to give up land to Russia after losses in 1813 and 1828.
Rather than get directly involved militarily, Britain put diplomatic pressure on Persia to give
up all claims on Afghanistan. Britain succeeded in their mission in 1857.
England also invested in Persia through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, which began after
discovering oil in 1908. Pause the video here to reflect on the following questions in your PDF:
How is a British company developing oil in Persia an example of imperialism? What do
you think the Persians thought about a British company drilling in their land?
If you reflected on the economics part of our definition of imperialism in your answer,
then you were probably on to something. Before or even instead of fully colonizing countries,
European powers often practiced economic imperialism, dominating a country's
economy through companies, financial policies, and direct interference.
Economic imperialism was heavily present in the tobacco industry in Persia as well. Tobacco
was always a profitable sector of the Persian economy, so when Persian ruler Nasir al-Din sold a
concession to a British company in 1890 that gave them a monopoly in the exported Persian tobacco,
tensions between the government and the Persian people skyrocketed. Persian people and religious
leaders were afraid of the impacts of Western influence. This led to the Persian Tobacco
boycott designed to resist Western influence in their economy. Ruler Nasir al-Din gave in to the
protesters and canceled the British concession. Unrest in Persia continued after the protests,
forcing Nasir al-Din to create a new constitution in 1906. The movement failed to keep out Western
influence as Britain and Russia divided the country in 1907 into spheres of economic control.
Let's pause the video again to answer the question:
How did economic imperialism impact Persia and Afghanistan in the 19th
and early 20th centuries? [coughs] [sandstorm rages]
Well, if you haven't guessed by all the sand, we made it to Egypt! Hoo! [coughs]
Known for more than just its epic sandstorms and pretty pointy buildings,
Egypt was highly desirable for global powers in the 1800s. Both France and Britain wanted
control over Egypt because of its strategic location bordering the Red Sea. Muhammad Ali
(no, not that one) was the military leader sent to Egypt by the Ottoman Empire to control the region,
but he eventually came to lead the Egyptians in their struggle against the
Ottomans. Under his leadership, Egypt battled the Ottomans and gained control of Syria and
Arabia in 1831. Due to his military successes, Muhammad Ali was named the ruler of Egypt. Ali
shifted Egyptian agriculture from farming to cash crops, specifically cotton. Like we learned in
sub-Saharan Africa, this loss of food in exchange for plantations caused many peasants to suffer.
In 1859, Muhammad Ali's grandson, Isma’il, began construction of the Suez Canal, a waterway
constructed by hand that connected the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. While the canal would
become profitable for trade, its construction was incredibly expensive. It was constructed using
French financing and, to a large extent, labor provided by enslaved people. When Egypt failed
to pay off its debt to France, Britain came in and took financial control of the canal in 1882. This
gave the British Empire the opportunity it was looking for, and [it] officially occupied Egypt.
Go ahead and pause the video here to answer the question: How did Britain come to control Egypt?
Ah, back to Morocco. That means it's time to bring our easy journey (okay — okay — slightly difficult
journey) to a close. While European powers gained strategic and economic benefits from their
colonies in the Arab world, many Muslim countries faced economic upheaval, numerous regime changes,
and political unrest. These conflicts left deep scars that are still visible today. For example,
the colonial legacy that began during the Great Game would follow Afghanistan through the Cold
War when the Soviet Union invaded and to its complicated relationship with Europe and the US
today. Always be ready for a journey because, like Mia and I learned today, history is everywhere.