The Middle East in the 20th Century
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The Middle East in the 20th Century
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Narrated by:
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Professor Eamonn Gearon
About this listen
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, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Middle East in the 20th Century
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Polly Doodle
- 23-04-23
Comprehensive and well delivered
This is an excellent lecture series for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the Middle East. It was a delight to listen to.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- M.Martin
- 05-01-22
Interesting
I bought this to listen to whilst at work. I listened to the previous course about the middle east from the middle ages so I thought I would continue by listening to this. I wasn't expecting much as I thought I knew about the history in the 20th century, but it was really good as it filled in the gaps in my knowledge about what built up to the 1979 revolution, and onwards to the start of the 21st century. I found the narration engaging and not annoying.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jon Payne
- 14-01-22
Fascinating and enlightening
This book in incredibly well researched and narrated delightfully by the author who has travelled extensively in North Africa. On occasion, upon his own camels!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew Karanja
- 16-03-23
Superb!
Eamonn delivers a balanced approach to the understanding of the Middle East in the 20th Century.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Just a reader
- 01-05-23
One of the best of the current Great Courses
This was truly a Great Course. It's current (a lot of the Great Courses are dated, but this one is from 2021), relevant and engaging. Professor Eamonn is a true teacher. He keeps the course manageable and concise, by clearly setting objectives for each lecture. At the same time, he is never shallow. Historical anecdotes liven up the material, but they always serve a larger purpose. He reminds me of some of the best professors I have had the pleasure of studying under, even though I come from a different field. Every lecture has a clear thesis, and Eamonn explores it well. This can not be said of some of the other history courses I've listened to, which are sometimes more like a grab bag of historical tidbits. You can tell he has really thought about what he wants to convey, and how to do it. It is as objective as possible -always difficult to do for topics/regions with a dynamic history- but never distant. There is a good balance between politics/culture/religion/international & national context, too.
I think this course is very useful when you want an in-depth overview of the 20th century Middle Eastern region up until 2020/2021. Depending on your age/location/interests, you may already know some of this stuff. But it all fits neatly together, giving you both the larger context and the smaller, unknown details. It will thus expand on your existing knowledge and broaden -sometimes even challenge- it. Because of that, I truly recommend it. This course is engaging and entertaining. But more important: I think I really did learn something by listening to it. Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 04-02-24
Phenomenal
This is a truly phenomenal course on the modern history of The Middle East that offers the listener an in depth introduction to the geopolitics of the region. Easily one of the best books on the Middle East that I’ve read &, having listened to nearly 50 “Great Courses”, I can confidently say that this is up there with the very best of them. Listening to this in 2024 at the height of the Israel-Gaza conflict has made this even more pertinent. I can’t recommend it more highly to gain an understanding of a hugely important region.
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