A Concise History of the Middle East

by Goldschmidt, Arthur, Jr.; Davidson, Lawrence

• ISBN13: 9780813342757
• ISBN10: 0813342759
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-21
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The eighth edition of Arthur Goldschmidt's widely acclaimed text has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope and balanced treatment. Written for undergraduate students, the text assumes no prior knowledge of Middle Eastern history. The book focuses on the the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the infludnce of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the aftermath of the Gulf War, and issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, The eighth edition brings new discussion to the post-9/11 political developments and surveys terrorism in the Middle East, the Iraq War and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Author Biography

Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., is Professor Emeritus of Middle East History at Pennsylvania State University. He is (with Lawrence Davidson) the author of A Concise History of the Middle East, Eighth Edition, and is the author as well of Modern Egypt: Foundation of a Nation-State, Second Edition. He is the recipient of the Amoco Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching and the 2000 Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award. Lawrence Davidson is Professor of History at West Chester University. He is the author of several books, including America's Palestine and Islamic Fundamentalism.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xiii
Preface to the Eighth Edition	xv
1 Introduction	1	(14)
What Is History?,	2	(3)
Then and Now, There and Here,	5	(1)
The Physical Setting,	6	(1)
Some Descriptive Geography,	7	(3)
Conclusion,	10	(5)
2 The Middle East Before Muhammad	15	(14)
A Minimum of Antiquity,	16	(1)
Persia and Rome,	16	(5)
The Arabs,	21	(5)
Conclusion,	26	(3)
3 The Prophet of Mecca	29	(14)
Muhammad's Early Life,	29	(5)
The Emigration (Hijra),	34	(5)
AISHA BINT ABI-BAKR,	39	(2)
Assessment,	41	(2)
4 What Is Islam?	43	(10)
Basic Beliefs,	43	(3)
The Five Pillars of Islam,	46	(3)
Other Duties and Prohibitions,	49	(1)
Conclusion,	50	(3)
5 The Early Arab Conquests	53	(18)
The Succession Issue,	53	(2)
The Initial Conquests,	55	(2)
The Beginnings of Islamic Government,	57	(2)
Dissension in the Umma,	59	(3)
Changes in the Government of Islam,	62	(1)
MU'-AWIYA IBN-ABI-SUFYAN,	63	(6)
Conclusion,	69	(2)
6 The High Caliphate	71	(16)
Restoration of the Umayyad Order,	72	(4)
The Downfall of the Umayyads,	76	(1)
The Abbasid Caliphate,	77	(6)
AL-MAMUN,	83	(1)
The Decline of the Abbasids,	84	(1)
Conclusion,	85	(2)
7 Shi'is and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols	87	(20)
Shi'i Islam in Power,	88	(6)
The Turks,	94	(4)
The Crusades,	98	(3)
The Mongol Invasion,	101	(2)
HULEGU KHAN,	103	(2)
Conclusion,	105	(2)
8 Islamic Civilization	107	(22)
The Rules and Laws of Islam,	108	(1)
Development of Jurisprudence,	108	(6)
Islamic Society,	114	(2)
Importance of Family Life,	116	(3)
Intellectual Life,	119	(4)
Theology,	123	(2)
AHMAD IBN HANBAL,	125	(1)
Conclusion,	126	(3)
9 Firearms, Slaves, and Empires	129	(28)
The Mamluks,	130	(4)
The Mongol Il-Khanids,	134	(3)
Gunpowder technology,	137	(1)
The Ottoman Empire,	138	(4)
OHRAN,	142	(10)
Persia Under the Safavids,	152	(3)
Conclusion,	155	(2)
10 European Interests and Imperialism	157	(12)
Ottoman Weakness,	157	(2)
The European Powers and the Eastern Question,	159	(1)
THE KOPRULU FAMILY OF VIZIERS,	160	(7)
Conclusion,	167	(2)
11 Westernizing Reform in the Nineteenth Century	169	(16)
Egypt,	170	(5)
Westernization of the Ottoman Empire,	175	(4)
MUSTAFA RESHID PASHA,	179	(1)
Persia Under the Qajars,	180	(2)
Some Afterthoughts,	182	(3)
12 The Rise of Nationalism	185	(18)
Egyptian Nationalism,	187	(5)
AHMAD URABI,	192	(3)
Ottomanism, Pan-Islam, and Turkism,	195	(3)
Nationalism in Persia,	198	(3)
Conclusion,	201	(2)
13 The Roots of Arab Bitterness	203	(20)
Arab Nationalism,	203	(6)
World War I,	209	(5)
FAYSAL IBN AL HUSAYN,	214	(2)
The Postwar Peace Settlement,	216	(4)
Conclusion and Summary,	220	(3)
14 Modernizing Rulers in the Independent States	223	(28)
Turkey: Phoenix from the Ashes,	224	(9)
MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK,	233	(2)
From Persia to Iran,	235	(7)
The Rise of Saudi Arabia,	242	(6)
Conclusion,	248	(3)
15 Egypt's Struggle for Independence	251	(18)
Britain's Role in Egypt,	251	(10)
KING FARUQ,	261	(2)
The Egyptian Revolution,	263	(4)
A Strange Ending,	267	(2)
16 The Contest for Palestine	269	(22)
Origins,	269	(2)
Prefatory Remarks,	271	(2)
The Beginnings of Political Zionism,	273	(4)
Britain and the Palestine Problem,	277	(5)
AMIN AL-HUSAYNI,	282	(8)
Conclusion,	290	(1)
17 Israel's Rebirth and the Rise of Arab Nationalism	291	(38)
Israel's War for Independence,	292	(3)
The War's Aftermath,	295	(3)
The Arab Countries,	298	(8)
Israel's Early Years,	306	(3)
DAVID BEN-GURION,	309	(2)
Middle Eastern Oil,	311	(1)
The Great Powers and the Arab World,	312	(13)
Conclusion,	325	(4)
18 War and the Quest for Peace	329	(38)
The June 1967 War,	330	(5)
The Palestinians as a Political Force,	335	(2)
Abortive Peace Efforts,	337	(2)
Political Changes: 1967-1970,	339	(5)
Danger Signs in the Middle East,	344	(5)
The October (Yom Kippur) War,	349	(3)
The War's Aftermath,	352	(5)
ANWAR AF-SADAT,	357	(1)
Lebanon: The Arena for a New Arab Struggle,	358	(3)
The Road to Camp David,	361	(4)
Conclusion,	365	(2)
19 The Reassertion of Islamic Power	367	(30)
Prefatory Remarks on Islam and Politics,	369	(1)
The Iranian Revolution,	370	(5)
SAYYID RUHOLLAH MUSAUI KHOMEINI,	375	(4)
The Struggle for Persian Gulf Supremacy,	379	(5)
The Retreat from Camp David,	384	(10)
Western Policy Formation and Islamic Polity,	394	(3)
20 The Gulf War and the Peace Process	397	(22)
The Gulf Crisis,	398	(6)
Operation Desert Storm,	404	(2)
Palestinians and the Peace Process,	406	(6)
YASIR ARAFAT,	412	(4)
Whither Islam?,	416	(3)
21 The War on Terrorism	419	(30)
The Present in Historical Perspective,	420	(1)
Survey of Terrorism,	421	(10)
OSAMA BIN LADEN,	431	(1)
The Iraq War,	432	(6)
The Contest for Palestine (Redux),	438	(8)
A Parting Message,	446	(3)
Chronology	449	(18)
Glossary	467	(32)
Bibliographic Essay	499	(30)
Appendix	529	(4)
Index	533