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The Middle East in the 20th Century

By: Eamonn Gearon, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Professor Eamonn Gearon
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Publisher's Summary

It is impossible to understand our world today without understanding the last 100 years of Middle Eastern history. The history of the region in the 20th century is so varied and complex that it defies easy explanations. Shifting borders, governmental overthrows, ethnic and nationalist tensions, and political and economic forces on the world stage all had a hand in shaping the course of Middle Eastern history. Ultimately, however, the story is one of people searching for self-determination, from the stumbling alliances after the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring uprisings.

Now that we have some historical distance from the tumultuous 20th century, it is a great time to take a historical deep dive into the history of the region. The Middle East in the 20th Century offers a marvelous introduction to this story and sheds an important light on the geopolitical stage today. Taught by author and Arabist Eamonn Gearon, these 24 enlightening and well-thought-out lessons bring clarity to a convoluted region and linear organization to a multifaceted story.

These lessons introduce you to the people, places, and leaders over the ages, and over the course, Eamonn revisits several significant events from different perspectives, including the role of the British in shaping the region in the wake of the Ottoman Empire, the formation of Israel, and the US-Soviet Cold War conflicts playing out in this period. International forces had a particularly strong impact on the history of the Middle East and North Africa. For instance, the discovery of oil in Iran in 1908 set in motion a series of alliances and conflicts ranging from the Suez Crisis of 1956 to the oil shocks of the 1970s to the 21st-century wars in Iraq and Syria.

Sometimes inspiring, sometimes tragic, and always fascinating, The Middle East in the 20th Century is an absolute must for anyone who wants to understand our world today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 The Great Courses (P)2021 The Teaching Company, LLC

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brilliant.Informative & sad !!

fantastic Narration - these lectures give the actual facts and history of how, what is then and still is today, the quagmire of opposing nation states, etc throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Born in 1959, these "events" have been present throughout my lifetime and have portrayed a sense of impending doom for the world for the entirety of my time up until the present time. Given the current status of affairs in the M.East, Africa, Ukraine, Russia and Europe inc. the United Kingdom and the constant, now almost daily fearmongering being reported from China along with civil unrest and major tensions in many, many other countries of the world I have no reason to look to the future and expect this feeling of impending world calamity to subside. With the U.S.A's current political turmoil post 9/11, it may be well to remember that with all its faults the U.S.A. is the only nation that can guarantee continued security of the world's shipping lanes and delivery of goods across the entire globe. should this tenuous security be scaled back it will mean extreme hardship for the entire globe which has again been aptly demonstrated by the export food crisis that has developed in the Ukraine. The people's of the world need to take a rest and consider the history of the last 200 years, combine to fix the mistakes of the past and at least make an attempt to bring peace, security and some level of humanity to the poorest and most downtrodden and enslaved - our modern "info tech'
has provided an opportunity for people of nations to see others various living conditions and are demanding a degree of equality and quality to their daily lives as should be the case in 2023 - I fear time is running out for the leaders of nations and that major civil and military unrest is about to escalate to a level unprecedented in history. Good luck!

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Brilliant

Insightful, thorough and profound lecture series that helps make sense of the Middle East as we know it today. Witty at times, sobering in others, every part of the series was amazing and I’d recommend it anyone wanting to learn about this part of the world

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