The Sykes-Picot Agreement redrew Middle Eastern borders after WWI. Driven by oil needs, Britain sought control of resources, leading to deals with Iran and conflicts with the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany. The agreement involved carving up the Ottoman Empire amongst Britain, France, Italy, and Russia (later collapsing). Britain secured Iranian oil, while France initially received Iraqi oil. British actions in Egypt and Saudi Arabia involved controlling the Suez Canal and supporting the Sauds against rivals, shaping the modern Middle East's geopolitical landscape. The Scramble for Oil in the Middle East Historical Evidence of Oil in the Middle East The British Need for Oil Finding Oil in the Middle East The Anglo-Persian Oil Company Concession British Expansion in the Middle East Sykes-Picot Agreement: Carving up the Middle East The Arms Race and the Inevitability of World War I The Ottoman Empire's Oil Discovery and the Rise of Germany The Russian Revolution and the Shift in British Strategy The Sykes-Picot Agreement: Territorial Divisions The British and French in the Middle East: A Legacy of Imperialism So the way they the, you know, the way you look for oil back then was you walked staring at the ground and you were hoping to find like black shale or black sandstone, a porous rock that, that, you know, like a sponge. Because if it's sitting on top of an oil field, it'll literally suck the oil into it and turn black. Or because there was so much oil on the planet at time, you could literally step in a puddle of oil. And then that would be a big indication that there was oil. Um, when the United States found oil in in Pennsylvania, they found it at a place called oil creek. In other words, there was a really big hint, there was probably oil there. And the reason the creek got named oil is the creek was cutting through the oil field. And then oil floats. So there was this sheen. Oil on top of the creek. And they like, ah, I bet there's oil here. Let's dig. So you, right, that was how you found oil. You just, mostly, you kept your eyes open, but the problem is the planet is huge. And so even though the British Empire own a giant chunk of the planet, the idea of sending out armies of people to look at their feet and comb the whole planet to look for oil seemed daunting. So the British decided to do something really extraordinary, read history books and look for conversations about oil in the history books. The historical events that led to the British Empire needing to find new ways to secure oil resources are: World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution: During World War I, Russia underwent the Bolshevik Revolution and became communist. Withdrawal of Russian Support: The new communist government declared it would no longer have imperialistic aspirations or work with capitalists. British Dependence on Russia: The British Empire had relied on Russia to potentially invade Iran from the north, helping them secure oil resources. Realization of Limitations: With Russia's withdrawal, the British realized they couldn't manage Iran alone. Search for Historical Clues: The British started to look into history books for conversations about oil. Discovery in the Middle East: They found historical records of oil in the Middle East. Anglo-Persian Oil Company: The Anglo-Persian Oil Company found oil in Iran around 1908. Ottoman Empire: The Ottoman Empire also found oil in what is today Northern Iraq. Ottoman's Alliance: The Ottomans, however, decided to align with Germany, complicating British access to that oil. can't, uh, have this kind of access to oil. And the reason is quite simply that they were worried that the German Navy was going to eventually eclipse the British Navy and the British and the Germans were in a an arms race. Every time the Germans built a ship, the British would build two ships, and that would force the Germans to build another ship to try to cancel the two ships the British just built, which would then force the British to build two new ships and they were bankrupting each other at the, at the rate that they were building ships, it was inevitable that both economies were going to collapse. And that's one of the reasons why World War I had to happen. The they had to, they had to just resolve the arms race. One way or another, Somebody just simply had to, to come out on top. And of course, the British come out on top. The, there is nothing wrong or evil about what the Germans did. Any more than what the British or the French did in World War I, they're not the bad guys. They were all bad, Right? It was just a bunch of evil states attacking each other. It's not like World War II, where it's easy to sort of lay blame on the Germans. In any case, Sykes and Pico get together because they want to talk about what the future is, and that future will not include an automan empire, the British and the French had decided that they were simply going to take out the Ottoman Empire. It didn't hurt any that. uh, there's an Arab uprising and the Arabs are actually in the act of defeating the Ottomans because they're trying to break away and create their own independent state. Um, and so the British and the French, well the British really, not the French assist the Arab uprising, but not because they cared about Arab aspirations, but because an enemy of an enemy is a friend. Um, and then their their first goal of course, was to undermine that Arab state and they did, they successfully undermined it that Arab state did exist briefly. its capital was Damascus. Um, it had a flag shockingly similar to the Jordanian and Palestinian flag. Uh, the stripes were weren't the exact order, right? It wasn't uh, black white. Uh, green it was, if I remember green, black, green white, but almost the exact same flag. Um, and there that's where the Jordanians and the Palestinians got their flag. It was inspired by that Arab that first attempt at creating an united Arab state from from Syria. In any Um, he goes, wow, what Napoleon did was actually really cool. I bet I could do something like that myself. He takes his Ottoman army that he's in command of that he invades Creit takes it over and then waits for the Ottoman Arire to respond. It doesn't. And then he's like, well, let's go and he invades Egypt, conquers Egypt And then he takes his army into Palestine, goes up through Syria and he actually invades what is today Turkey before the the Ottoman Empire goes whoa what are you doing? Please stop right. He's just an Ottoman general who goes rogue. He didn't speak any Arabic. um he knew Turkish and Albanian. his soldiers mostly speak Turkish and Albanian. You know like this is this is such an odd thing to be doing but this is what he does. he's he's a visionary and he thinks in grand terms he negotiates out a deal with the Ottoman Empire where he'll give back a bunch of Syria and Turkey in exchange he'll become basically the governor of an autonomous Egypt and he starts a whole dynasty of kings of Egypt that are they didn't take the title initially but you know it's effectively what they became. The discovery in the United States that provided a significant clue about the potential for oil in other regions was: Oil Creek in Pennsylvania: Oil was found at a place called Oil Creek. Reason for the Name: The creek was named "Oil Creek" because it cut through an oil field. Visible Oil Sheen: Oil floated on top of the creek, creating a visible sheen. Obvious Indication: This observation led to the understanding that there was likely oil in the area, prompting further exploration. Big Hint: It provide a very big hint about the presence of oil. In any case, Sykes and Pico get together because they want to talk about what the future is, and that future will not include an automan empire, the British and the French had decided that they were simply going to take out the Ottoman Empire. It didn't hurt any that. uh, there's an Arab uprising and the Arabs are actually in the act of defeating the Ottomans because they're trying to break away and create their own independent state. Um, and so the British and the French, well the British really, not the French assist the Arab uprising, but not because they cared about Arab aspirations, but because an enemy of an enemy is a friend. Um, and then their their first goal of course, was to undermine that Arab state and they did, they successfully undermined it that Arab state did exist briefly. its capital was Damascus. Um, it had a flag shockingly similar to the Jordanian and Palestinian flag. Uh, the stripes were weren't the exact order, right? It wasn't uh, black white. Uh, green it was, if I remember green, black, green white, but almost the exact same flag. Um, and there that's where the Jordanians and the Palestinians got their flag. It was inspired by that Arab that first attempt at creating an united Arab state from from Syria. In any case, Sy and Pico before that Arab state existed before World War I is resolved. Are sitting down and talking about how they're going to carve up the Middle East When they made the plan, there was still a Russian Empire. So GRE, the Italian empire, the Russian empire, the British Empire, and the French Empire were going to be the participants in this giant carve up event. So one one piece that needed to be carved up was the Ottoman Empire. They were going to leave a piece behind, That was going to become Turkey, But they were going to give a big piece to Italy in the south, So Antalia area that was going to go to Italy. in the west. Ismir was going to go to Greece. So the Greeks were going to have the Western shore of what is today Turkey. Um, and then the French were going to end up with Syria, Lebanon. And what is today Iraq. The English were only going to take, what is today Palestine. Israel and Jordan. UM, and the reason why the British were okay with that is then the French would get the oil that was in Iraq because the British were planning to get the oil that was in Iran, the Russian Empire was going to invade Iran, take the northern half of Iran, and the British Empire was going to invade and take the southern half. And that would get them access to oil that they could feel secure with the Russians, though. during World War, I decide they're going to go communist, have the Bolshevik revolution and declare that they're no longer, they no longer have imperialist aspirations and that they won't work with capitalists anymore. And the British Empire realizes if there's no Russia to invade Iran from the north, there's no way the British can manage Iran by themselves. They need to divide and conquer. They can't do it. Just conquering. so the British Ta have the French and take Iraq and they they're like, you know, we're sorry, but we need to secure our oil fields. The British researched historical records, finding evidence of oil use in the Middle East dating back a thousand years. Petroleum was used for lighting and weapons in the region. Flamethrowers using petroleum were employed by the Roman Empire against Arabs. Arab armies used oil-filled glass balls as makeshift grenades. Oil exploration methods in the early 20th century were primitive, involving visual inspection for black shale or black sandstone (porous rocks that could absorb oil). Oil seeps were also indicators of oil deposits. Oil Creek in Pennsylvania, a creek flowing through an oil field, provided a clear indication of oil presence. The vastness of the planet made searching for oil a daunting task. The British, aware of the oil potential, established a presence in the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). They secured Kuwait and established a presence in the United Arab Emirates . They forged alliances with Oman . They aimed to gain control of southern Iraq and Iran . The British Empire relied heavily on naval power , which required oil . The British were concerned about their lack of access to oil resources, especially after Royal Dutch Shell emerged as a major oil corporation. The British feared that dependence on Standard Oil (US-owned) could lead to vulnerabilities. They sought to secure their own oil resources . The Ottoman Empire discovered oil in Northern Iraq . The British sought a deal with the Ottomans but were rejected as the Ottomans aligned with Germany . This fueled British fears of German naval expansion . The agreement divided the Middle East among the remaining empires: British, French, Russian, Italian . Turkey was to retain a portion of the Ottoman Empire. Italy was to receive Antalya . Greece was to receive Izmir . France was to receive Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq . Britain was to receive Palestine, Israel, and Jordan . The Bolshevik Revolution led to Russia's withdrawal from imperial ambitions. This left the British unable to secure Iranian oil on their own. Britain persuaded France to accept Iraq in exchange for the British securing their oil interests in Iran. Sykes-Picot (British and French officials) met to discuss the future of the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire was to be dismantled. The British and French supported the Arab Uprising against the Ottomans, not out of sympathy for the Arabs but to weaken their common enemy. They later undermined the short-lived Arab state in Damascus. Britain and Germany engaged in a naval arms race , each building more ships to counter the other's advancements. The escalating arms race led to economic strain and eventually war . The British secured an 86% concession from the Persian government. This was a highly favorable deal, considering the usual 50/50 split in such agreements. The Persian rulers were more interested in British opium than in their country's oil resources. The British Empire, facing the challenge of locating oil across a massive territory, innovatively used historical texts to identify potential oil-rich regions. By examining historical accounts of oil usage in the Middle East, they narrowed their search area, demonstrating an unconventional approach to resource exploration. This segment describes the rudimentary methods used to locate oil in the early 20th century. Oil prospectors relied on visual cues like black shale or sandstone, or even oil puddles, to identify potential oil fields. The difficulty of this method given the vastness of the planet is emphasized. The British and French, through their actions, shaped the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Their pursuit of oil and strategic interests left a lasting legacy of instability and conflict. The competition between Britain and Germany for naval supremacy, fueled by their need for oil, is explained as a significant factor leading to World War I. The escalating arms race, characterized by a cycle of shipbuilding, pushed both nations toward economic collapse and ultimately war. This segment discusses the Sykes-Picot Agreement, outlining how Britain and France planned to partition the Middle East after the anticipated collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The concurrent Arab uprising, initially supported by the British for strategic reasons, is also described. The British secured an astonishing 86% concession in Iran's oil resources, highlighting the political and economic maneuvering involved in securing access to vital resources. The Iranian rulers' preference for British opium over national interests contributed to this lopsided deal. The initial plan for the division of the Ottoman Empire involved multiple European powers, including Russia, Italy, and Greece, alongside Britain and France. The British strategy of securing oil resources in Iran and the impact of the Bolshevik Revolution on these plans are highlighted.The Bolshevik Revolution and Russia's renunciation of imperialist ambitions forced a recalibration of the British strategy in the Middle East. The British, unable to manage Iran alone, secured a deal with France to control Iraq's oil fields, showcasing the shifting geopolitical landscape. Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, though ultimately unsuccessful, had a significant impact on the region's future. His campaign inspired Muhammad Ali, an Albanian general, to seize control of Egypt, establishing a dynasty that would significantly shape the country's trajectory. Muhammad Ali, inspired by Napoleon, successfully took control of Egypt and expanded his influence across the region. This segment details his military campaigns, negotiations with the Ottoman Empire, and the establishment of a long-lasting dynasty in Egypt.The history of the Saudi state, marked by periods of rise and fall, is presented. The British, recognizing the Saudis as a potential ally, cultivated a relationship with them, contrasting this with their approach to Egypt.The British invasion and conquest of Egypt in 1882, motivated by Egypt's debt and the strategic importance of the Suez Canal, is explained. This segment highlights the exploitative nature of the canal's construction and the British imposition of a protectorate over Egypt.