After the Caliphate Fell: Who Benefited the Most?

 

After the Caliphate Fell: Who Benefited the Most?

This question has lingered in my mind for a long time. Every time I revisit the history of the Ottoman Caliphate’s fall in 1924, I find myself stuck on one point: why did so many parties outside the Muslim world gain so much from it? Did the collapse of an institution that once symbolized unity really open the doors for others to divide, dominate, and even exploit Muslim lands?

For me, this article isn’t about romanticizing the past. It’s more about examining who truly benefited and what lessons we must learn to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Symbolic image of fallen Caliphate throne and Western powers splitting resources at sunset


1. The Caliphate: A Fragile Symbol of Unity

Before asking who gained, we must honestly admit one thing: by its final days, the Ottoman Caliphate was already weak. Its territory was vast, its economy was crumbling, and its military technology was no match for Europe’s industrial powers (Lewis, The Emergence of Modern Turkey, 1961). Internally, Arab, Turkish, and Kurdish nationalism pulled the empire apart.

For me, the first irony is clear: on paper, the Caliphate was a symbol of unity, but in practice it was a battlefield of local elites and foreign powers jockeying for influence. This internal weakness opened the gates for outsiders to step in.

2. The Western Powers: Heirs to the Vacuum

There’s no denying it: the Western colonial powers Britain, France, and later the United States were among the biggest winners of the Caliphate’s collapse. After World War I, through the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916), Ottoman lands in the Middle East were carved up into new states with borders drawn by European hands (Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace, 1989).

New artificial states were born: Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. Oil wealth once managed under a single empire was split and handed to foreign companies. To me, this is the West’s biggest gain: they secured not just resources, but also installed political systems friendly to their interests systems that survive to this day.

3. Local Elites: The New Kings

But let’s be fair it wasn’t just the West that profited. Local elites did too. Many royal families that still rule today owe their thrones to the power vacuum the Caliphate left behind. The House of Saud in Arabia, the Hashemites in Jordan, influential clans in the Gulf all rose to power with British backing (Rogan, The Fall of the Ottomans, 2015).

To me, this highlights an uncomfortable truth: local rulers willing to collaborate with foreign powers often secured their thrones though the price was the loss of full sovereignty.

4. Zionism: A New Space in Palestine

One of the most sensitive chapters is the British Mandate in Palestine, which paved the way for modern Zionism. The Balfour Declaration (1917) explicitly supported a “national home” for Jews in Palestine (Krämer, A History of Palestine, 2008). With the Caliphate gone, Palestinians lost a political shield that once protected their homeland.

As a Muslim, I see this as a concrete example of how the Caliphate’s collapse left an open door for a conflict that still shapes the world today.

5. The Muslim World: From Center to Fragmentation

What saddens me most is that the greatest loss fell on ordinary Muslims. Back then, however imperfect it was, the Caliphate stood as a unifying symbol. After its fall, the rise of modern nation-states created new identities national pride often eclipsed Islamic solidarity (Esposito, Islam and Politics, 1998).

Today, many Muslim countries struggle to form real cooperation. Organizations like the OIC exist, but often only as symbolic forums, not genuine political blocs. To me, this is the greatest loss: the divisions we inherited make it easy for outsiders to pressure us one by one.

6. Should We Just Be Nostalgic?

Of course, not everyone agrees that the Caliphate’s fall should be mourned. Some argue it was an outdated political system incompatible with modern democracy. Personally, I try to stay neutral. I believe Islam does not mandate a rigid political structure. What matters are the values: justice, unity, and the protection of the ummah (Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies, 2014).

Nostalgia without reflection only traps us in empty longing. What matters more is this question: how can we rebuild genuine cooperation among Muslim nations so we don’t keep getting played on the global chessboard?

7. Who Won, Who Lost: A Simple Note

So, who gained the most? To me, the answer is clear: Western colonial powers inherited new lands, oil, and geopolitical influence. Local elites got thrones and titles. Meanwhile, most ordinary Muslims inherited new borders, new national identities, and new conflicts often engineered to make control easier (Anderson, The Middle East and the World Economy, 1995).

Yet I also believe that the fall of the Caliphate sparked a new awareness. Pan-Islamism, nationalist awakenings, and regional organizations all arose partly in response to that failure. For me, that is the sliver of hope in this dark chapter.

8. Today’s Lesson

What lessons can we draw? First, unity doesn’t always mean reviving a single formal Caliphate. What’s more important is real integration: in the economy, education, science, and foreign policy. Europe united through the EU, not through a single king.

Second, Muslims must learn to build political self-reliance without leaning on foreign patrons. Too often, we get stuck debating Sharia or the Caliphate’s ideal form, while neglecting the hard work of building fair, modern governance. To me, this is the urgent homework if we don’t want to keep being someone else’s pawn.

9. Final Thoughts: Counting Gains and Losses

To wrap this up: yes, the Caliphate’s collapse brought massive gains to the West and certain elites, but its loss fell collectively on the ummah. Nostalgia alone is worthless if we don’t learn the lesson. What we need isn’t just a symbol, but a shared commitment to rebuild pillars of justice, knowledge, and unity across borders.

If Muslims once built a civilization on knowledge and unity, I still believe we can do it again—maybe not through one palace in Istanbul, but through a global Muslim network that empowers each other.

Lokasi: GWF8+3W Blodgett Mills, NY, Amerika Serikat

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