Portrait of Sheikh Ubeydullah by Rebwar K. Tahir The Middle East in the 19th Century In the 19th century, nationalism/nation-building and colonial activity around the world gained pace. Nationalism, spreading from France, and colonialism, spreading from Britain, came to affect virtually the entire globe. The various nations within the empires became aware of their right to self-determination and rose up in pursuit of that aim. These uprisings gave birth to many new states. On