American Imperialism in the Middle East: 1920 – 1950

During the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the United States challenged Britain’s position and became a dominant power in the Middle East. During the 1920s, the rise to power began with American oil companies pursuing economic opportunities in the region’s oil fields. Britain maintained the predominant position in the Middle East until the end of the World War II, but the hardships of war limited Britain’s military and financial resources. During the period of 1920 through 1950, the United States seized the opportunity and embarked on an imperialist mission into the Middle East. The United States began its imperialist journey into the Middle East because the huge oil reserves in Saudi Arabia provided American companies with vast financial opportunities. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was fueled by vastly different political ideologies and economic objectives brought to the forefront by Soviet actions in Iran and Turkey. Finally, Truman supported Israel’s statehood to appease the Jewish constituency and to garner campaign contributions.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Quinn, John W. IV

• Crude

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14659

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/14659