Question

What was one major change that happened when the Ottoman Empire was divided up?
Sentence starter: One major change was…
Why do you think different countries wanted control of the land after World War I ended?
Sentence starter: I think they wanted control because…
What connection do you see between how the empire was partitioned and conflicts that happened later?
Sentence starter: I see a connection because…

Answer 1

One major change was the breakup of the Ottoman Empire into a much smaller Turkey and a series of new countries and League of Nations mandates (for example Britain took Palestine, Iraq and Transjordan; France took Syria and Lebanon).

I think they wanted control because they were after strategic advantages (control of trade routes and ports), valuable resources—especially oil—and greater political and colonial influence in the region after World War I.

I see a connection because the borders and mandate arrangements were drawn by outside powers without regard for local ethnic, religious and tribal boundaries, which created mixed states and rival claims that helped spark later conflicts (for example tensions over Palestine/Israel, Kurdish statelessness, and sectarian struggles in Iraq and Syria).