A Short History of Iraq From 636 to the Present

by Abdullah, Thabit

• ISBN13: 9780582505797
• ISBN10: 0582505798
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-09-30
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

The twentieth century witnessed the transformation of the area known currently as Iraq from a backward region of the Ottoman Empire, to one of the most important and dynamic states in the Middle East. The rise of modern Iraq has its roots in the second half of the nineteenth century when Ottoman reforms led to gradual state modernization and increasing integration in the World Economy. British control after World War I was one of the determining factors in the establishment of the current borders of the country and the nature of its subsequent national identity. The other important factor was the highly heterogeneous nature of Iraqi society being divided along tribal, ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines. This book focuses on the interaction between the old and the new, or between continuity and change, as it is manifested in the nature of social development, nation-building, the state and the political opposition.

Author Biography

Thabit Abdullah is a Professor at York University in Toronto.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	viii
Chronology of main events	x
Maps	xvi
Introduction	xix
1 From the Arab conquest to the fall of Baghdad, 636-1258	1	(36)
2 Iraqunder Mongol and Turkoman rule, 1258-1534	37	(26)
3 The first three centuries of Ottoman rule, 1534-1831	63	(32)
4 The Tanzimat and Young Turk period, 1831-1918	95	(26)
5 Mandate and Monarchy, 1918-1958	121	(34)
6 The struggle for the Republic, 1958-1979	155	(24)
7 The dictatorship of Saddam Husagn, 1979-2003	179	(32)
Conclusion	211	(6)
Select bibliography	217	(6)
Index	223