The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement [Hardcover]

George Antonius (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0866850007 | ISBN-13: 978-0866850001 | Publication Date: August 1, 1985

First published in 1938, this fine book is the first study of the Arab national movement ever written.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A good book written by a scholar, an expert on the subject and a resident in the country.... A very excellent and extremely able book." -- The Observer, London

"The whole of this brilliantly written book moves at the same plane of objective and critical scholarship." --Daily Telegraph, London

"A good book written by a scholar, an expert on the subject and a resident in the country.... A very excellent and extremely able book." -- The Observer, London

"The whole of this brilliantly written book moves at the same plane of objective and critical scholarship." --Daily Telegraph, London

About the Author

George Antonius was a scholar and expert on the Middle East.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 471 pages
• Publisher: Intl Book Centre (August 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0866850007
• ISBN-13: 978-0866850001
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The classic on Modern Arab History!, August 9, 2003

By 

Giant Panda (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement (Paperback)

This is definitely the classic account of the rise of the Arabic people and the making of the modern Middle East. It covers the critical periods of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, when most of the Arab countries went through radical change from being part of the Ottoman Empire, to being colonized by Western powers, to becoming independent again. Learn about the history of Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine, from an Arab perspective. Though written more than half a century ago, this book is indispensable and offers fundamental insights on Middle East affairs, and is packed full of historical facts that withstood the test of time. A primary advantage of this book is the part about Palestine, which was written before the formation of Israel in 1948 and therefore reflects the intricacy and complexity of that crucial first half of the century from a unique perspective. A Palestinian himself, George Antonius is not afraid to put his thoughts on Palestine in the open, describing his vision for coexistence between the Palestinian and the Jewish people in one democratic and constitutional state. The only weakness I find in this book is the author's tendency to give too much credit to the Hashemites, overplaying their role in forming Arab events at the turn of the century, and underplaying their role in collaborating with th British and the Zionists to the detriment of their Arab brethren. Of course some of those secret deals were not known at his time, but he could have been a less forgiving historian.

Still, there still is no comparable text that treats the pre-1940 history of the Arab Middle East in such detail as "The Arab Awakening".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arab Nationalism As Humanism, February 3, 2008

By 

Chimonsho (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement (Paperback)

Though not a key unlocking all Middle Eastern mysteries, "Arab Awakening" effectively traces Arabs' response to the challenges of Western and Ottoman imperialism. Some of the analysis is now superceded, e.g. giving primacy to Lebanese Christians as pioneers of Arabism while downplaying Islamic modernizers. But it holds up remarkably well overall, describing the movement and exposing British double-dealing over Palestine. A Christian Arab and former Foreign Office official, Antonius was perfectly positioned to write this book, though FO ties probably led former colleagues to favor his views. Original research and heartfelt sentiments ensure its classic status, but the revelation is the humane portrayal of all parties involved. This contrasts markedly with the regionwide trend toward confrontation since the 1930s. "Arab Awakening" displays nationalism at its best, a positive force advocating political rights for the excluded (like Zionism at its best). A much-needed study of Antonius's career is S. Boyle, "Betrayal of Palestine."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Arab Awakening by George Antonius, January 2, 2004

By 

Anonymous (Cleveland, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arab Awakening (Hardcover)

This is a priceless reference to the early Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Revolt of 1916-18, as well as to the formation of the borders and governments of the modern Middle East.No other writer witnessed the Arab Revolt and interviewed as many of the primary participants, whether Arab, British, French, Turkish or German, as Antonius did.Few other writers were as well-placed to analyse the British and French Mandates in Palestine, Syria and Iraq, and no one told the Arab side of the story to the West as perceptively and authoritatively.The one area Antonius left in entirely too much obscurity was the abandonment of Sharif Hussein by the British, which allowed the Hejaz to be conquered by the fanatical Saudis.Antonius does criticise Saudi tribalism and fundamentalism and I suppose he can be forgiven for not forseeing the divisive and detrimental role that Saudi dominance of the Hejaz would play in the future of the entire Muslim world.

This book will make you long for the days when the strongest political current in the Middle East was Arab nationalism rather than Islamism, and it will make you wonder why the West undertook to destroy the integrity of a movement which was largely of its own inspiration.

The appendices are invaluable, presenting to the public for the first time all of the documents concerning the promises made by the British govt to the Hashemites and the Arab nationalists.Once you have read the Damascus Protocol, the Hussein-McMahon letters, the Hogarth letter, the Declaration to the Seven and the rest, you will no longer be in any doubt as to the official nature and specificity of the supposedly mythical and nebulous promises made to the Arabs.