The Decline of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the ‘Arab Awakening’ before 1914

Abstract One historic development that took place before the Arab Middle East became what it was after 1914 was the decline of the power of the Ottoman empire that had ruled the region from varying dates in the 16th century. This chapter examines how far the dissolution of the Ottoman empire could be attributed to a new and explosive awakening of Arab nationalism, a desire to cast off Turkish rule and form new nation states. In particular, this chapter explores whether there was an ‘Arab Awakening’ (a phrase associated with George Antonius) before 1914 and between then and 1918, how strong it was, and whether it could, by itself, have brought about the dissolution of the Ottoman Arab empire.