Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Arab Congress of 1920, the destruction of the Syrian state, and the rise of anti-liberal Islamism
    Unavailable
    How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Arab Congress of 1920, the destruction of the Syrian state, and the rise of anti-liberal Islamism
    Unavailable
    How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Arab Congress of 1920, the destruction of the Syrian state, and the rise of anti-liberal Islamism
    Ebook708 pages12 hours

    How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Arab Congress of 1920, the destruction of the Syrian state, and the rise of anti-liberal Islamism

    By Elizabeth F. Thompson

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The story of a pivotal moment in modern world history, when representative democracy became a political option for Arabs—and how the West denied the opportunity.

    When Europe’s Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against the Turks. The British supported the Arabs’ fight for an independent state and sent an intelligence officer, T.E. Lawrence, to join Prince Faisal, leader of the Arab army and a descendant of the Prophet. In October 1918, Faisal, Lawrence, and the Arabs victoriously entered Damascus, where they declared a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria.

    At the Paris Peace Conference, Faisal won the support of President Woodrow Wilson, who sent an American commission to Syria to survey the political aspirations of its people. However, other Entente leaders at Paris—and later San Remo—schemed against the Arab democracy, which they saw as a threat to their colonial rule. On March 8, 1920, the Syrian-Arab Congress declared independence and crowned Faisal king of a “representative monarchy.” Rashid Rida, a leading Islamic thinker of the day, led the constituent assembly to establish equality for all citizens, including non-Muslims, under a full bill of rights.

    But France and Britain refused to recognize the Damascus government and instead imposed a system of mandates on the Arab provinces of the defeated Ottoman Empire, on the pretext that Arabs were not yet ready for self-government. Under such a mandate, the French invaded Syria in April 1920, crushing the Arab government and sending Faisal and Congress leaders in flight to exile. The fragile coalition of secular modernizers and Islamic reformers that might have established democracy in the Arab world was destroyed, with profound consequences that reverberate still.

    Using many previously untapped primary sources, including contemporary newspaper accounts and letters, minutes from the Syrian-Arab Congress, and diary and journal entries from participants, How The West Stole Democracy From The Arabs is a groundbreaking account of this extraordinary, brief moment of unity and hope—and of its destruction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtlantic Monthly Press
    Release dateApr 21, 2020
    ISBN9780802148216
    Unavailable
    How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs: The Arab Congress of 1920, the destruction of the Syrian state, and the rise of anti-liberal Islamism

    Related to How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs

    Related ebooks

    Middle Eastern History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      America’s Caste System

      Oct 10, 2020

      Termed an “instant American classic” by The New York Times, Isabel Wilkerson’s thorny book is not the first to use “caste” to probe America’s racial ills. A European word popularised in India by the Portuguese, “caste” has often featured in explanati

      3 min read

    • Article

      Patrick Radden Keefe

      Mar 4, 2019

      After four years researching one of the most notorious killings in Northern Ireland’s history, the New Yorker staff writer made a shocking discovery that may have actually solved the crime. His new book, Say Nothing, claims to unmask the person who f

      2 min read

    • Article

      Empire Of Pain Review: The Sacklers, Opioids And The Sickening Of America

      Apr 18, 2021

      By 2016, opioids had torn a piece out of Appalachia and the rust belt. The deep drop in life expectancy among white Americans without four-year degrees would no longer be ignored. OxyContin, Purdue Pharma’s highly addictive painkiller, helped elect D

      3 min read

    • Article

      Birx Hinted She Wanted Trump To Lose Election, New Book Says

      Jun 14, 2021

      Dr Deborah Birx, then the White House coronavirus taskforce coordinator, hinted to an Obama-era official shortly before the 2020 election she wanted Donald Trump to lose to Joe Biden. Andy Slavitt, a former acting chief of the Centers for Medicaid an

      2 min read

    • Article

      A Matter of Facts

      Jan 22, 2020

      A Matter of Facts
      17 min read

    • Article

      The Death Of An Adjunct

      Apr 8, 2019

      The Death Of An Adjunct
      12 min read

    • Article

      Capitalism American-style: A Financial History Of The United States

      Jun 16, 2021

      “Ages of American Capitalism" by Jonathan Levy sheds light on U.S. history as seen through a financial lens.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Pinker’s progress

      Oct 8, 2021

      Pinker’s progress
      18 min read

    • Article

      Jonah Goldberg: Pandemic Is A Blown Opportunity For Conservative Nationalists

      May 20, 2020

      Future historians of the American right are going to have a devil of a time figuring out what the hell happened as the second decade of the 21st century came to a close. But every day I become more convinced about at least one of their conclusions: T

      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘Money’ Tells The History Of Currency – With Some Digressions

      Sep 16, 2020

      What exactly is money? How have humans developed this concept over centuries? NPR’s Jacob Goldstein tackles these questions.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Commons

      Apr 20, 2020

      The Commons
      5 min read

    • Article

      In 'Upheaval,' Jared Diamond Examines Crisis Resolution Through A Personal Lens

      May 9, 2019

      The Pulitzer prize-winning author draws from history and psychology, theorizing that nations in crisis can learn from the experiences of people in crisis — and looks for a path forward for the U.S.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Is the American Idea Doomed?

      Oct 10, 2017

      Is the American Idea Doomed?
      7 min read

    Reviews for How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words