Middle East 2/3
The End of the Caliphate in 1924
and its Political Consequences in the Muslim World
By Louis Perez y Cid
To remain within this framework of "illuminating current events through history," the disappearance of the caliphate constitutes a major turning point, often misunderstood by us in the West.
The Day a Center Disappeared
On March 3, 1924, in Ankara, a decision was made in almost ordinary silence.
No war. No visible revolution. No crowds.
And yet, on that day, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk put an end to an institution nearly thirteen centuries old: the caliphate.
In Europe, the event went almost unnoticed.
In the Muslim world, it left a deeper, more diffuse, less immediately visible mark. For what disappeared was not merely a function.
It was a center.
A point of reference, imperfect, contested, often weakened, but existing nonetheless.
And when a center disappears, it is not only the institutions that falter.
It is the balance of power.
No war. No visible revolution. No crowds.
And yet, on that day, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk put an end to an institution nearly thirteen centuries old: the caliphate.
In Europe, the event went almost unnoticed.
In the Muslim world, it left a deeper, more diffuse, less immediately visible mark. For what disappeared was not merely a function.
It was a center.
A point of reference, imperfect, contested, often weakened, but existing nonetheless.
And when a center disappears, it is not only the institutions that falter.
It is the balance of power.
An ancient legacy, a fragile authority.
The caliphate emerged in the 7th century, following the death of the Prophet. The caliph is not a spiritual guide in the strict sense, but a political leader tasked with ensuring the unity of the Ummah, the community of believers.
Over the centuries, this unity fractured. Several caliphates coexisted, vying for legitimacy, sometimes even fighting each other.
From the 16th century onward, the Ottoman Empire established itself as the primary holder of this title. From Istanbul, the sultan embodied both political authority and a form of religious authority.
This power was imperfect; it did not control everything, and it did not truly unify the Muslim world.
But it existed. And sometimes, in history, the mere fact that something exists is enough to shape minds.
Atatürk's Rupture
After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, everything became possible, including a complete break.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted to build a modern, national state, oriented towards Europe. To do this, he needed to break with the old order. The caliphate, in this logic, belonged to the past.
On March 3, 1924, it was abolished. The act was clear, unambiguous. What had survived for centuries disappeared with a decree. For the first time since the 7th century, there was no longer any authority, not even symbolic, claiming to embody the political unity of the Sunni Muslim world.
The Ummah no longer had a center.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted to build a modern, national state, oriented towards Europe. To do this, he needed to break with the old order. The caliphate, in this logic, belonged to the past.
On March 3, 1924, it was abolished. The act was clear, unambiguous. What had survived for centuries disappeared with a decree. For the first time since the 7th century, there was no longer any authority, not even symbolic, claiming to embody the political unity of the Sunni Muslim world.
The Ummah no longer had a center.
The Void
What followed was not immediately visible. There was no sudden collapse, no widespread chaos. But something took hold, a void. A political vacuum: the Muslim world enters the era of nation-states—Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia—each pursuing its own interests.
An even deeper void: no one can claim to speak for everyone.
And when no one speaks for everyone, everyone begins to speak for themselves.
An even deeper void: no one can claim to speak for everyone.
And when no one speaks for everyone, everyone begins to speak for themselves.
Attempts and Fractures
Throughout the 20th century, this void did not remain inactive. Some attempted to fill it through nationalism, religion, and transnational projects.
But none of these attempts succeeded in recreating a recognized center.
On the contrary, fragmentation intensified, rivalries multiplied, and interpretations diverged. Conflicts became more difficult to contain.
More recently, groups like the Islamic State have attempted to re-establish a caliphate by force, proof that the idea has never completely disappeared.
But these attempts have only confirmed a deeper reality:
a center cannot be decreed.
But none of these attempts succeeded in recreating a recognized center.
On the contrary, fragmentation intensified, rivalries multiplied, and interpretations diverged. Conflicts became more difficult to contain.
More recently, groups like the Islamic State have attempted to re-establish a caliphate by force, proof that the idea has never completely disappeared.
But these attempts have only confirmed a deeper reality:
a center cannot be decreed.
Connection to the Contemporary Middle East
This is where this story directly intersects with that of the modern Middle East.
When European powers redrew the region after the fall of the Ottoman Empire—through agreements, mandates, and borders—they intervened in an already fragile space.
On the one hand, an imperial order had just disappeared. On the other, no central authority replaced it. The new states—Iraq, Syria, Lebanon—were built without a common framework, without a recognized arbiter, without a center.
In other words, borders were drawn, but the balance of power was not.
When European powers redrew the region after the fall of the Ottoman Empire—through agreements, mandates, and borders—they intervened in an already fragile space.
On the one hand, an imperial order had just disappeared. On the other, no central authority replaced it. The new states—Iraq, Syria, Lebanon—were built without a common framework, without a recognized arbiter, without a center.
In other words, borders were drawn, but the balance of power was not.
What is missing?
The abolition of the caliphate did not simply eliminate an institution. It left behind an absence.
A century later, states exist, armies clash, alliances are formed and dissolved. But behind these visible movements, a silent question remains:
Where is the center?
For in politics as in strategy, everything does not depend solely on force or borders. It also depends on what organizes, what connects, what provides direction. And when nothing plays this role, when everything is scattered, fragmented, and competitive, then conflicts find no stopping point. They shift, they spread, and they endure.
And in some regions of the world, it is not only wars that make history,
it is absences.