Faisal I of Iraq
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: New Haven, CT
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 672
ISBN-13: 9780300127324
Description: " Born in 1885, King Faisal I of Iraq was a seminal figure not only in the founding of the state of Iraq but also in the making of the modern Middle East. In all the tumult leading to the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of new Arab states, Faisal was a central player. His life traversed each of the important political, military, and intellectual developments of his times. This comprehensive biography is the first to provide a fully rounded picture of Faisal the man and Faisal the monarch. Ali A. Allawi recounts the dramatic events of his subject's life and provides a reassessment of his crucial role in developments in the pre- and post-World War I Middle East and of his lasting but underappreciated influence in the region even 80 years after his death. A battle-hardened military leader who, with the help of Lawrence of Arabia, organized the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire; a leading representative of the Arab cause, alongside Gertrude Bell, at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919; a founding father and king of the first independent state of Syria; the first king of Iraq-in his many roles Faisal overcame innumerable crises and opposing currents while striving to build the structures of a modern state. This book is the first to afford his contributions to Middle East history the attention they deserve"--
Table of contents: title: Part 1 : An empire disintegrates : the Ottoman era (1833-1914).; title: From the desert to the metropolis; title: Return to Mecca; title: Prelude to war; title: Part 2 : Breaking the bonds : the First World War and the Arab Revolt (1914-1948).; title: The road to the rising; title: The Arab Revolt I : consolidating the revolt; title: The Arab Revolt II : breaking out; title: The Arab Revolt III : railroad war; title: To Damascus!; title: Part 3 : A shattered dream : Syria and the Paris Peace Conference (1918-1921).; title: The rudiments of a state; title: First footsteps in Europe; title: At the Paris Peace Conference I; title: At the Paris Peace Conference II; title: The struggle for Syria; title: The collapse of the Kingdom of Syria; title: Adrift; title: A king in waiting; title: Part 4 : A new beginning : Iraq (1921-1933).; title: From Mesopotamia to Iraq; title: King of Iraq; title: Faisal, Cox and the rise of the opposition; title: The rebellion of the Ayatollahs; title: Assemblies, treaties, constitutions; title: Oil and the Mosul question; title: Struggling to break free; title: Towards independence; title: Vindication at last; title: A calamitous end; title: Epilogue : Faisal the Great