Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
08:02 This not Talaat Paşa, it's some random Indonesian dude. My mistake.
The 19th and 20th centuries were a time of seismic change in the Middle East. Outdated state institutions, which had derived their legitimacy from the monarch and the Ulema, began to decay until collapse. The ever-expanding deficit in efficiency and innovation between European and Middle Eastern states became evident when the new colonial powers began poaching for historic ports and trade routes. By the early 20th century, an Ottoman or Persian citizen would have seen a state that governed poorly, or a state that no longer governed at all; whilst foreign troops occupied the edges of those empires before encroaching on the centre. This disillusionment with ancient indigenous institutions caused the intelligentsia of the day to look westward: “If Europe dominates the world and dominates our countries, they must be doing something we’re not!” As imperial collapse transitioned into European colonialism, an indigenous answer to their efficiency and ethos that had created this dynamic was required. The sultans and sheikhs of old did not prove up to the challenge, so a new idea had to be introduced to unite the masses and reconstitute Turkish, Arab and Iranian society. Ironically, the ideological response conjured up to combat European encroachment was the very same one born in and popularised by Europe: nationalism.
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Images Used:
Music Used:
Doug Maxwell - Arabian Nightfall (Sting):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bRzD...
If any of the images or songs are yours, please let me know I will amend them. Please don't report me straight away!
0:00 Intro to Nationalism
4:01 Turks establish Türkiye
16:51 Arabs without the Ottomans
28:16 Persia becomes Iran
39:13 What went wrong?
08:02 This not Talaat Paşa, it's some random Indonesian dude. My mistake.
The 19th and 20th centuries were a time of seismic change in the Middle East. Outdated state institutions, which had derived their legitimacy from the monarch and the Ulema, began to decay until collapse. The ever-expanding deficit in efficiency and innovation between European and Middle Eastern states became evident when the new colonial powers began poaching for historic ports and trade routes. By the early 20th century, an Ottoman or Persian citizen would have seen a state that governed poorly, or a state that no longer governed at all; whilst foreign troops occupied the edges of those empires before encroaching on the centre. This disillusionment with ancient indigenous institutions caused the intelligentsia of the day to look westward: “If Europe dominates the world and dominates our countries, they must be doing something we’re not!” As imperial collapse transitioned into European colonialism, an indigenous answer to their efficiency and ethos that had created this dynamic was required. The sultans and sheikhs of old did not prove up to the challenge, so a new idea had to be introduced to unite the masses and reconstitute Turkish, Arab and Iranian society. Ironically, the ideological response conjured up to combat European encroachment was the very same one born in and popularised by Europe: nationalism.
FREE NEWSLETTER:
https://mailchi.mp/a69f93be6c66/hikma-history-newsletter
- Become a Patron for as little as a dollar a month to vote on upcoming and keep the movement going!
patreon.com/user?u=12397811
Massive thank you to our Patreons:
Elman
TheBactrianGambler
Preston P
Adam
Mohammad
Areeb
Awais
Omar
Farid
Ibrahim
Ari
Joshua
Haseeb
Nahid
Amir
Mahmoud
Joel
CoreBard
- Join our social media community:
Twitter:
twitter.com/HikmaHistory
Instagram:
instagram.com/hikmahistory
Facebook:
facebook.com/HikmaHistory
Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hikma...
#nationalism #middleeasthistory #iran
Images Used:
Music Used:
Doug Maxwell - Arabian Nightfall (Sting):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bRzD...
If any of the images or songs are yours, please let me know I will amend them. Please don't report me straight away!
0:00 Intro to Nationalism
4:01 Turks establish Türkiye
16:51 Arabs without the Ottomans
28:16 Persia becomes Iran
39:13 What went wrong?
