INTRODUCTION History is the study of the past, particularly how it relates to human beings. Thus if history is measured by events of the past the Middle East is one with a lot of history. As the Afro Eurasian center of the world, that is the point at which Africa, Europe and Asia meet, there have been contentions of what constitutes the Middle East. Some authors see the Middle East as ranging from the Nile River to the Muslim lands of Central Asia, from South East Europe to the Arabian Sea. Others tended to include countries connected to the Arabic and Islamic politics as part of the Middle East. Thus the Middle East include the countries and territories of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, The West Bank, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE. Sentiments will let us include Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However this work will focus on the states that resulted from the creation of the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, although other states that were colonies to Super Powers of Britain and France will be mentioned in passing. This work will also elucidate the events that occurred in the Middle East. From the events leading up to the First World War to the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire to the creation of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948. THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND THE MIDDLE EAST At the time of the First World War, the Ottoman Empire dominated the Middle East. At its height the Ottoman Empire spanned from South Eastern Europe to the gates of Vienna, including present day Hungary, the Balkan region, Greece, and parts of Ukraine, portions of the Middle East now occupied by Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, Algeria in North Africa and most of the Arabian peninsula. The Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman I in 1300. The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic Monarchy and at a time a Constitutional monarchy. At the time it was regarded as the Islamic centre of the World. The name Ottoman derives from Osman I who established the dynasty and the Empire. However it is pertinent to understand the nature of the Ottoman Empire prior to World War I. Within the Ottoman Empire, which was a Turk dominated empire, there was the move for Arabic nationalism from the Arab populations in the Middle East. The Arab nationalist protested the Turkish dominated Empire and its exclusionist tendencies. What then is Arab Nationalism? Arab Nationalism is the belief that Arabs constitute a single political community (or nation) and should have a common government. It lies on the premise that nations from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula are united by their common linguistic, cultural and historical heritage. The Arab nationalist protested against the centralizing tendency of the Ottoman government and what seemed to be an exclusively Turkish Empire. Even with the Young Turks revolution (CUP- Committee of Union Progress) for an all-inclusive constitutional monarchy in 1908, the hope of Arabs were dashed as representation favoured mainly the Turks against the many linguistic, ethnic and religious minorities. Also elections were rigged to ensure CUP dominance. The Arab nationalists blamed the Ottoman government for the Arabs backwardness, political ineptitude and disunity. Despite the strains the Arabs were put under, religious affinity did not let for an open revolt at the time, as it will be detrimental to Islam. This was the nature of the Ottoman Empire prior to her entrance into World War I. In August, 1914 the Ottoman Empire officially entered the First World War on the side of the Germans. This decision might be attributed to the CUPs relations and exposure to German military advisers. The Germans helped train Ottoman soldiers in Istanbul on modern weaponry and two warships were gifted to the Ottoman Empire. The Germans were also building railways from Istanbul to Baghdad to strengthen Ottoman hold on the Empire However other objectives like the need to reclaim Egypt from Britain and the Caucasus from Russia. Thus after the Ottoman Empire entered the war and bombarded Odessa, they declared a jihad against the Allied Powers of Britain, France and Russia. This was aimed at instigating Muslims in British and French controlled territories to revolt against them. Thus the British saw the need to destabilize such policies and covert interactions between disgruntled Arabs within the Empire and Britain were established. The McMahon Correspondence The McMahon correspondence was an exchange of letters between the British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon and the Amir Sharif of Mecca, Husayn bin Ali from 14th July 1915 to 30th January 1916. Britain in response to the Ottoman declaration of a jihad in 1914 contacted Sharif Husayn who was an Arab leader in Mecca. Husayn led the clan called the Hashimites, which was the clan of the Holy Prophet in Mecca. Husayn had long struggled with the Ottoman Empires’ oppression of Arabs, eve