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The British were relatively late to Empire in the Middle East compared to say the New World or Asia. Additionally, much of its influence in the region was through informal methods and usually through existing leaders and power structures. Consequently, until the end of the First World War, not much of the region was painted pink. There were just the odd naval bases and islands scattered through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Gulf. The two main Empires that occupied British policy in the region were the Ottoman and the Persian Empires. The Great Game between Russia and Britain which continued for much of the 19th Century concerned policy makers on both sides, but had surprisingly little effect on British boundaries and borders on the ground. It was to be the Treaty of Versailles which saw British influence magnified in the vacuum of the defeated and much contracted Turkish Empire. British influence was paramount up to and including the Second World War after which it saw a steady contraction as the Cold War saw the Americans and Soviets compete for influence in the region and nationalism accelerated the decolonisation process. |
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