middle east equated economic development W r i t i n g

According to Gelvin what are some factors that led to the creation of autocratic states in the MENA? What categories of states emerged in the region in the interwar period? Please post your answer in one or two paragraphs.

As Gelvin carefully articulates, factors, such as a strong military, the great powers, financial resources, the comparison between economic development and social justice, and the onset of authoritarian structures, led to the creation of autocratic states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). MENA states have been better divided into three categories by Gelvin to best explain the emergence of autocratic states. The first category of states are those that emerged during the interwar period, which are Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. In all three of these states, their militaries played a significant role in establishing the sates, especially as autocratic. Military leaders emerged as their initial rulers. During the interwar period, autocratic models of state-building and governance were assembled globally. The great powers, acting as the previously mentioned global interference and assembly, also played a significant role in the forming of authoritarian governments in the MENA. The great powers, which included the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, ensured autocratic governance in the MENA region due to their use of economic and political leverage that would dictate policy to governments and grant them financial assistance. Additionally, financial resources, being the third contributing factor to the creation of autocratic states, bolstered the power of governments, specifically in the Middle East, with oil, and such unrivaled economic power came with unrivaled political power. The comparison between economic development and social justice acted as the fourth factor that contributed to the emergence of strong, authoritarian governments. As people in the Middle East equated economic development with social justice, the government was seen as the primary vehicle for economic development and social justice, and in consequence to that, the governments concentrated an excessive amount of power in their hands. The fifth factor, being the onset of authoritarian structures, acted as a significant factor in the creation of autocratic states due to its pre-existing hold in a state’s DNA and government structure. States with onset authoritarian structures were very susceptible to the creation of an authoritarian government. respond to that in one paragraph