A Short History of Iraq
From 636 to the Present
Thabit Abdullah
0582505798 (Paperback) Sep 2003, 256 pages
Instock
$16.00

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Features
• Highly topical: constant ME conflict
• Not just a political account: covers society and culture as well
• Long chronological range, providing full context to the contemporary situation
• Excellent non partisan, highly regarded author
• Increasing number of courses on this region

Contents Introduction
1. From the Arab Conquest to the Fall of Baghdad, 637-1258
2. Iraq Under Mongol and Turkman Rule, 1258-1534
3. The First Three Centuries of Ottoman Rule, 1534-1831
4. The Tanzimat & Young Turk Period, 1831-1918
5. Mandate & Monarchy, 1918-1958
6. The Struggle for the Republic, 1958-1979
7. The Dictatorship of Saddam Husayn, 1979 to the Present Conclusion

Book Description
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. 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 The author examines the rise of modern Iraq and 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 is examined as one of the major determining factors in the establishment of the current borders of the country and the nature of its subsequent national identity. The other important factor explored is the highly heterogeneous nature of Iraqi society and its division along tribal, ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines. Readers wanting a background to current events in Iraq and the Middle East.