How did the Sykes-Picot Agreement affect the Ottoman Empire?
The Sykes-Picot Agreement was a secret agreement signed between the United Kingdom and France in 1916, during World War I. The agreement aimed to divide up the territories of the Ottoman Empire and other Middle Eastern territories into spheres of influence for the two countries.
The agreement had a significant impact on the Ottoman Empire as it essentially spelled out the partition of the empire and its eventual dissolution. The agreement proposed that the majority of the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire would be divided into British and French spheres of influence, with the ultimate goal of creating new states under their control.
This led to the weakening and eventual collapse of the Ottoman Empire, as it lost control over many of its territories and faced internal strife and external pressure from the Allied Powers. The Sykes-Picot Agreement played a crucial role in reshaping the political landscape of the Middle East, leading to the creation of new states and borders that continue to impact the region to this day.