DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2706-6185/59/26-30
Laman Aliyeva
Baku State University
PhD in History
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3249-5546
aliyevalaman09@gmail.com
The Political Situation on the Eve and During of the Great War and the Role of Sir Mark Sykes Reshaping British Middle East Policy
Abstract
Before the First World War broke out, two powerful alliances dominated world politics: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. The war started in August 1914, but when in November of the same year, Ottoman sultan declared jihad on the Entente powers, the political situation in the Middle East crucially changed for the Great Powers, especially for Great Britain, for which Middle East had much more importance for securing Imperial Road and the oil resources. Immediately, Britain sought for new strategies in the Middle Eastern policy. Establishment of the De Bunsen Committee was the first step, by which Sir Mark Sykes, a devoted English statesman emerged as the man who created the Middle East. With his wide knowledge about Middle East and the Ottoman Empire, Mark Sykes gained influence in the foreign policy of Great Britain in a short time. The conclusion of the Sykes-Picot agreement was the most effective duty he performed in his carrier.
Keywords: Great Britain, France, World War I, Sir Mark Sykes, Sykes-Picot agreement