Efforts to Forming the Middle East in the Secret Treaty Framework at San Remo Conference

Abstract

Middle East territories have always been a valuable geography for humanity throughout history. The territories, which had remained peaceful for long years under the domination of the Ottoman Empire, became a focal point for all the states of the world when the Ottoman Empire lost its power and the Industrial Revolution caused an increase in the imperialist need of Europe. Middle East where every great power desired to have domination became a centre of struggle in the First World War. The Allied Powers shared the Middle East territories of the Ottoman Empire with the Istanbul, Sykes-Picot and Saint Jean De Maurienne Treaties in order to avoid a possible struggle with each other. However, these treaties underwent some alterations after the war and the domains were rearranged with the Paris and London Conferences before the San Remo Conference. With the San Remo Conference, it was revealed that the United States would not be included in the system to be established by the Allied Powers in the Middle East and Anatolia. It was made clear that the Armenian state promised to Armenians would only exist on paper. Britain's plan of establishing a Kurdish state was blocked. On the other hand, the fact that the management of Thrace and Izmir was handed down to Greece despite Italy proves that Britain considered a Greek state with larger boundaries in the Aegean fit for their benefits. Verdicts of the San Remo Conference were accepted by the Allied Powers as a final judgement for the Middle East and Anatolia territories. The Allies which solved the disagreement between each other at the San Remo Conference decided to apply the Treaty of Sevres for Anatolia and establish mandate managements for the Arab territories. The study focused on the impact of the San Remo Conference on Middle East boundaries drawn with secret treaties.

There is no study that would require Ethical Commitee approval in this article.