Epilogue Part 5
The Ottoman Empire had suffered greatly during the World War. While compared to other Allied military losses the Ottomans had fared better losing only 865,000 soldiers & sailors, its civilian casualties were massive. With Russia's attempts to eradicate all Muslims within the Empire Turkey had suffered nearly 9 million, mostly Muslim, dead civilians. Despite their massive loss of life the Ottoman Empire had played a major part in defeating Russia. Considered one of the worlds foremost powers now the Ottoman Empire was one of seven, along with the US, Germany, Britain, Italy, France, & Japan, members of the UN security council.
While the Muslims faced the brunt of Russia's racist views they weren't the only ones. As they had been for centuries the Jewish population faced persecution by Russia. Millions were rounded up & shipped to Russian factories or, in woman's cases, pleasure shops along the front. Over the course of the war more than 1.5 million Jews were either killed or died in Russian camps.
Fleeing the Russian advance several hundred thousand Jews would travel to Palestine & the exodus to Palestine would continue after the war ended. On May 14,1956 the Palestine was granted autonomy within the Ottoman Empire as Israel after a UN Resolution. This was an extremely controversial move by the Ottomans disapproved by many in its government & was met with hostility by many throughout the country against the Jewish population. It was also met with hostility by other Arab nations.
On October 29,1956 over 300,000 Egyptian soldiers swarmed into Israel & the Ottoman Empire. In less than a month the Egyptians were within artillery range of Jerusalem & had taken Amman. The tide would turn however on November 21 when an Israeli led counterattack rolled up the Egyptian advance on Jerusalem. Over the next six months the war raged in Israeli & Ottoman territory as the front swayed back & forth as the two sides attempted to throw the other on its back. The Ottoman & Israeli Army's however were gaining in experience & size & by June 1952 the war had entered the Sinai & by the end of the year the Ottoman & Israeli's were at the Suez. Here however the war became a stalemate as neither side could successfully cross the canal in sufficient force.
Despite the stalemate the war drug on as their air forces filled the sky with fire, their navies set the Red Sea & Mediterranean ablaze, & the canal became a scene of carnage. To end the bloody war the UN intervened in November & would mandate a ceasefire on November 7,1958 with the Ottomans & Israeli's occupying the Sinai until March 1960.
Wikibox of the Ottoman-Egyptian War
Despite defeating the Egyptians problems continued to arise in the Ottoman Empire over Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization or PLO, which had formed at the start of the Ottoman-Egyptian War, continued to attack the Israeli's & the Ottoman military installations in Jordan & Syria. For a decade the situation in the Empire steadily got worse as hostilities against the Ottomans grew more & more often in Arabia, Jordan, Syria, & Mesopotamia. On October 6,1970 all out war broke loose across the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabs were revolting in mass against Ottoman rule. Five days after the rebellion began 250,000 of what would be nearly 800,000 Egyptian troops invaded Israel & the Empire. With some of the largest battles by numbers of troops & tank battles since the World War the Arabian Liberation War as it was called covered the Middle East in the blood of thousands. After more than a year of fierce bitter fighting the war came to an end on November 25,1971.
In a UN sponsored peace accord in Stockholm the Ottoman Empire would lose more than half of its territory. The Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, & the United Arab Emirates gained their independence from the Ottomans. Pre a UN Resolution Israel would become a fully independent nation from the Ottoman Empire in hopes to end the tension in the Empire. While they would gain independence Israel would lose the Gaza Strip to Egypt & the West Bank to Jordan however Israel gained the West Bank back during the Six Day War with Jordan in May 1977.
Wikibox of the Arabian Liberation War
Following the loss of the Arabian Liberation War the Ottoman Empire began a series of reforms within itself to bring itself into the modern war. On May 19,1975 the Ottoman Empire would become the worlds 7th nuclear power detonating an atomic bomb in the Mesopotamian desert. By the end of the 1970's the Ottoman Empire had returned itself to the modern world & was considered a first world country by the western world once more.
In the Ottomans eastern neighbor Persia however revolution was afoot. In late 1978 the Pahlavi Dynasty which had ruled for centuries was overthrown & went into exile in Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire refused to recognize the new Islamic Republic of Iran who was trying to stir up anti-monarch unrest within the Empire. On September 22,1980 Iran invaded the Ottoman Empire with the intent to capture vital regions & topple the House of Osman. Despite the surprise attack the Iranians were met by fierce resistance that halted the invasion only 50 miles into Ottoman territory at it deepest. By the Fall of 1981 Iran had withdrew back across the border. In the Spring of 1982 it was time for the Ottomans to invade. 750,000 Turkish soldiers stormed across the Iranian border & by July had pushed ore than 100 miles into Iran. The invasion however would soon bog down & eventually resemble the Great War's miles of trench lines. For more than five years the front would change but a little, though mostly against Iran, while thousands & thousands died. Both sides would use chemical weapons against one another without mercy. Finally in late June 1988 the Iranian military began to collapse. For the first time in five years the Ottomans made great advances & would be nearing Tehran by August. On August 20,1988 the Persian-Ottoman War came to an end & Ottoman forces would restore the Persian monarchy.
Wikibox of the Persian-Ottoman War
Not all of the Persians however were happy with the return of the Pahlavi Dynasty. Less than two years later on August 2,1990 Civil War erupted in Persia which quickly began spilling over into Mesopotamia. With the assistance of a US led UN Coalition in January 1991 pro-monarch forces would regain the high ground in Persia & on December 2,1994 the Persian Civil War ended finally returning peace to the Middle East. As the 21st Century began the Ottoman Empire continued to be a modern power & the unofficial police force of the Middle East.