Customer Reviews

The Arab Awakening: The Story of the Arab National Movement

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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".

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 Some of the analysis is now superceded, e.g. giving primacy to Lebanese Christians as pioneers of Arabism while downplaying Islamic modernizers.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."

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.

Written on the eve of World War II, this is a thoughtful, well-researched account of the forces which transformed the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire into the nation states of the Middle East which now exist. It focuses particularly on the promises which the British made to the Arab peoples and on which the latter had relied in deciding to join the fight against the Turks in World War I, in the expectation that success would lead to their independence--promises that were cynical at the time made and ignored in the peace negotiations. Anyone who still thinks the problems in the Middle East began with the creation of Israel in 1948 would profit by reading this book and getting a longer view of the issues which are still with us today.

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".

The book by G. Antonius "The Arab Awakening: The story of the Arab national movement" is a classical book about al-Nahda epoch of the late 19th - early 20th century. In 1939 American diplomats involved in the Middle East strongly recommended the book to their juniour colleagues for deeper understanding of the region. "The Arab Awakening" is one of the most cited books devoted to the Middle East problems.

G. Antonius was one of the founders of "standard historiography", as well as Colonel T. E. Lawrence, Amin Said, Professor D. G. Hogarth etc. The Antonius' style is beautiful. He was born in Syria, he knew the Middle East very well, and he was acquainted with the main figures of his writing.

I have received the edition of 1969 by Librairie du Liban. Although it is not the first edition of 1938 by Hamish Hamilton Publishers (I had studied it previously preparing my PhD dissertation) I also recommend this book by G. Antonius as those American diplomats in 1939 to everyone who wants to know the Middle East better.

Well,
After notifying the publisher of the missing maps, they rectified the problem. I received a replacement copy from them that was excellent.

Thus, my second review now gives the book 5 stars, to offset the 2 I put in previously.

With all the maps, the book is an excellent and invaluable resource regarding the Middle East.

I've ordered the paperback version for $35.95 and this version seems to be missing some important pieces.

Namely, the maps. Of the 6 maps, only 2 are present, the other 4 are missing.

I contacted Amazon.COM and they sent a replacement paperback. It too was missing the same maps.

Must I spend an extra $100 to get the Hardcover edition just for 4 freaking maps?

I wonder if Amazon's entire lot they received from the publisher is defective in this manner.

Amazon needs to do better quality control and check the books they receive to make sure that they aren't missing vital information.

That is why I gave it 2 stars. Had it contained all the items in the hardcover edition (which the previous reviews were based), then it would gave gotten 4.5 or 5 stars.