Turkey: A Modern History (Paperback)

~ Erik J. Zurcher (Author) "In the late eighteenth century, just before the upheavals caused by the French revolution, the Ottoman Empire roughly consisted of: the Balkans (with modern-day, or..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mustafa Kemal, Ottoman Empire, Mehmet Ali (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Zurcher's book will make an excellent textbook for students approaching the study of Turkey for the first time, in addition to serving as a valuable aid to scholars looking for a comprehensive, well-written fusion of differing interpretations of Turkish history...This book is destined to remain a standard text in its field."--Lawrence Tel, International Affairs

"...a valuable addition to scholarly literature."--Andrew Mango, TLS

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Building upon and updating its twin themes, this revised edition of "Turkey: a Modern History" focuses on Turkey's continuing incorporation into the capitalist world and the modernization of state and society. It begins with the forging of closer links with Europe after the French Revolution and the changing face of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Zurcher argues that Turkey's history, between 1908 and 1950, should be seen as a unity, and offers a strongly revisionist interpretation of Turkey's founding father, Kemal Ataturk.In his account of the period since 1950, Zurcher focuses on: the growth of mass politics; the three military coups; the thorny issue of Turkey's human rights record; integration into the global economy; the alliance with the West and and relations with the European community; Turkey's ambivalent relations with the Middle East; the increasingly explosive Kurdish questions; the economic crisis of 1994; and the continuing political instability and growth of Islam.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris; Revised edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860642225
• ISBN-13: 978-1860642227
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,297,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview, but a bit detailed for the general reader, November 16, 1999

By	Winter Wright (Shanghai China) - See all my reviews

I knew absolutely nothing about Turkey when I picked up this book, which I bought in preparation for a trip to Turkey next month. I found that the author, unlike some academics, writes limpid, readable prose. He does dwell in considerable detail on the political jousting that takes place inside the government; it seems that there have always been competing factions within the power structure in Turkey, and they appear at times to have changed position from week to week. I therefore found myself skimming through parts of this book. I wish he'd focused a bit more on cultural history, as this was the bit I found most interesting. Still, all in all, a good read for what is essentially a textbook. I've started "Turkey Unveiled" by Hugh and Nicole Pope, two journalists who are clearly aiming for a more popular treatment of the subject matter, and I can tell that my having read Professor Zurcher's book will make their book much more interesting.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Turkey's Real History, January 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Turkey: A Modern History (Paperback)

I have been studying this book throughly in college and also using it for writing essays. It is a great review of the Turkish History from a very objective point of view. It gives just enough information to get an idea of the political history of Turkey, but it may as well a bit too detailed for those who are not interested in political science. Zurcher's book focuses on more political issues than cultural issues; it tells about the political leaders and their policies but it is not a biography on any of the leaders of modern Turkey. The book does not at all talk about gender issues or private lives of the leaders but has a clear understanding of good and bad effects they had on the making of modern Turkey. To those who are interested in the life of Ataturk, I would reccomend Lord Kinross's book "Ataturk" which is available at Amazon. In general Zurcher's book is a great source for students and anyone who is interested in politics and history.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impartial and reliable introduction to modern Turkey, April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This book can definitely be recommended to students and general readers finding their way into the often controversial history of modern Turkey. It is well-balanced and clearly written, picking a sensible path between the distorted versions of Turkish history offered by those academics with too strong a pro-Turkish or anti-Turkish bias. Turkey's present-day authorities will almost certainly object to the book's conclusions about how best to tackle the long-standing Kurdish problem (Zurcher proposes guarantees for Kurdish culture and the Kurdish language, and some form of autonomy for the south-east). But the passages on the Kurds do not dominate the book, which is concerned mostly with tracing Turkey's turbulent road to modernity.