Introduction Throughout human history, wars have always created, destroyed, or enveloped nations, states, or empires. Examples of these include the final war of the Roman Republic, culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, through to the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 which created a unified German state. However, it is known that World War I had the greatest impact on human civilization. It has dragged nearly every continent into conflict, halted global trade, led to the demolition of four empires and boosted nationalism everywhere. An interesting factor about World War I is the extent to which it had a huge impact on the Middle East. East. Many Westerners today would only remember it from reading Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front or attending an Armistice Day parade in central London. Most would not even consider the fact that World War I had everything to do with current events in the Middle East today, such as the so-called Arab Spring, the Palestinian conflict, etc. Having said all this, the argument advanced is that, although World War I was important in shaping the fate of the modern Middle East, the unexpected long-term results were far more important. Furthermore, the war was above all a catalyst for the continuation of defensive development in the Middle East. Now we need to underline why the First World War affected the Middle East. Narration On June 28, 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. An interesting question needs to be asked about why the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne has anything to do with the future of the Middle East. Ansary notes that the war seemed... middle of paper... to use an iron fist, from Mustafa Kemal to Hosni Mubarak, to the various monarchs who rule the numerous kingdoms around the Arabian Peninsula. end of an exact development. The defensive developmentalists of the nineteenth century were secular leaders just as various Middle Eastern leaders are today. Recognizing its importance, there is no doubt that the First World War had a huge impact on the Middle East, but it must be said that the series of problems that exist in that country today began before the war and the war itself served as catalyst. for stronger nationalism and defensive development. Works Cited Ansary, Tamim. Fate Interrupted: A World History Through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Gelvin, James L. The Modern Middle East: A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.