A History of the Modern Middle East [Paperback]

William L Cleveland (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813334896 | ISBN-13: 978-0813334899 | Publication Date: November 1999 | Edition: 2nd

This comprehensive work provides a penetrating analysis of modern Middle Eastern history, from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms, through the challenge of Western imperialism, to the Iranian Revolution and the Gulf War. After introducing the reader to the region's history from the origins of Islam in the seventh century, Cleveland focuses on the past two centuries of profound and often dramatic change. While built around a framework of political history, the book also carefully integrates social, cultural, and economic developments into a single, carefully crafted account. The revised and updated second edition of this benchmark text includes information on the Middle East since the close of the Cold War, and a new section on civil society and Islamic politics in the 1990s.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lucidly written, well researched and an ideal work of introduction and reference for students of the region.
— Middle Eastern Studies

 

 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

William Cleveland is professor of history at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; 2nd edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813334896
• ISBN-13: 978-0813334899
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading on Middle East History, April 29, 2005

By 

3rdeadly3rd (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Modern Middle East (Paperback)

William Cleveland's "A History of the Modern Middle East" is without a doubt an essential book for anyone interested in or studying Middle East history.

Cleveland presents the history of the region from the late Ottoman Empire through to the more recent struggles dominating the airwaves and - and this is the most important thing - explains what on earth is at stake. This is a particularly important thing in Middle East history, as some of the alliances and divisions between different groups are somewhat arcane to the beginner.

Unlike many books covering the history of the region, Cleveland writes in an eminently readable manner. While some readers will be astonished at the lack of diacritics and the like, this serves the purpose of communicating his information much more clearly.

His analysis and sense of history are spot-on. Whether writing about the defeat of the Ottoman Empire or the land-rights struggle between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Cleveland presents the facts clearly and with a wry sense of humour at times - particularly in his discussion of Iran's modernising drive.
Cleveland also has an eye for the anecdote and the illuminating personality, which greatly improves his abilities as a writer. If there's one problem with a lot of contemporary Middle East scholarship, it's the reliance on the dry historical record at the expense of the character sketch.

If there is one criticism which could be made of this work, it's that Cleveland sometimes expects a little more background knowledge from his readers than perhaps he should. Already having an interest in this field, I did not suffer too much from this expectation, although the absolute beginner might have some problems.

That said, this is a book I can highly recommend for anyone keen to learn about the genesis of a region which - for better or worse - looks as though it will be in the news headlines for many years to come. After all, as Winston Churchill (a man who does not come up roses in the history of this region) once said, those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it. Arguably, this is more true in the Middle East than anywhere else on earth.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A student taking modern middle history, November 22, 2002

By 

Jonathan Moore (Terre Haute, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Modern Middle East (Paperback)

The first thing that might come to a student's mind with a history textbook would be the words: tedious, dull and unexciting. And do not worry because Cleveland possesses none of these negative qualities. Cleveland covers every topic on the modern Middle East to Oslo agreements and Muhammad Ali in Egypt. The book explains the history of a foreign culture and region that many people do not understand and he writes it in an easy to read format. I promise that it will not be the most exciting book in the world to read, but it will offer you knowledge on the Middle East that only a few actually understand and know. I am a history major at Indiana State University and took a course on modern Middle Eastern history taught by Robert Hunter that wrote "The Palestinian Uprising: A War by Other Means."

I considered Cleveland's textbook on the Modern Middle East a great source of history. After reading this book, I guarantee that you will better understand the present-day crisis in the Middle East than over ninety-five percent of the people in the United States.

70 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent background reading for all Americans, October 16, 2001

By 

Douglas A. Greenberg (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of the Modern Middle East (Paperback)

The Middle East is such a multi-faced region with such a rich historical legacy that even people who strive to be well-informed cannot help but feel bewildered at its cultural, political, and religious complexity. Given the blustering aggressiveness of the post-September 11 U.S. policy toward the region, however, Americans owe it to themselves to become far more familiar with the complexities of the Middle East than has been our wont up to now.

Popular magazine articles that attempt to "explain" Islamic rage as the result of a "fear of modernity" or "jealousy of the west's freedoms" may as well bear a stamp proclaiming their authorship by the "Ministry of Propaganda." As an alternative, I recommend Professor Cleveland's textbook, which serves as a brief but remarkably thorough introduction to the history of this volatile part of the world.

No, the book does not cover Afghanistan or Pakistan, but clearly political currents in these nations are closely linked with what has transpired in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the rest of the Middle East proper. At the heart of the current crisis is, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian condundrum, and here the author's explanations and analyses are clear, balanced, and incisive. His discussions of the evolution of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the background *and consequences* of the 1991 Gulf War are also invaluable. In his recounting of the Iranian revolution, Cleveland offers a fascinating analysis of the apparent Islamicist rejection of "modernity," showing that those in the Middle East who reject the West do not crave a return to the ancient past, but instead wish to follow a modernization pathway that is guided by indigenous cultural principles, including the precepts of Islam.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is what Cleveland has to say toward the end of the book regarding the dangers of an overly intrusive and domineering presence in the Islamic Middle East by the lone remaining planetary superpower, the U.S. He does not prophesy the recent terrorism that has afflicted this country, but he does criticize the U.S. for policies that seem to rely more upon aerial bombardment than careful diplomacy. The application of Cleveland's conclusions to a reevaluation of the likely long-term consequences of "America's new war" is not a comforting process, but it's one that perhaps more Americans need to undertake.