Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires: Central Europe, the Middle East and Russia, 1914-23 - Softcover

Roshwald, Aviel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415242290 ISBN 13: 9780415242295

Publisher: Routledge, 2000

Synopsis

An examination of the critical dilemmas of nationalist politics in the First World War. It proposes that the war catapulted nationalist movements into positions of authority well before they were ready culturally or politically.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

HOW DID THE FIRST WORLD WAR SHAPE TODAY'S ETHNIC POLITICS?

Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires is a wide-ranging, comparative study of the origins of today's ethnic politics in East Central Europe, the former Russian empire and the Middle East. Centered on the First World War era, Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires highlights the roles of historical contingency and the ordeal of total war in shaping the states and institutions that supplanted the great multinational empires after 1918. It explores how the fixing of new political boundaries and the complex interplay of nationalist elites and popular forces set in motion bitter ethnic conflicts and political disputes, many of which are still with us today. Topics discussed include:
-- The disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian empire
-- The ethnic dimension of the Russian Revolution and Soviet state building
-- Nationality issues in the late Ottoman empire
-- The origins of Arab nationalism
-- Ethnic politics in zones of military occupation
-- The construction of Czechoslovak and Yugoslav identities

Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires is an invaluable survey of the origins of twentieth-century ethnic politics and provides an important reassessment of the First World War era in relation to the current turmoil in East Central Europe, Russia and the Middle East. It is essential reading for those interested in the politics of ethnicity and nationalism in modern European and Middle Eastern history.

Review:

"The author shows how the interplay of nationalist elites and popular forces during the First World War ignited bitter disputes that have not yet been resolved.... Each chapter includes a discussion of the development of ethnic nationalism in the Middle East-- its seeding, growth, radicalization, suppression, and political expression in the form of the nation-state.."
-"Middle East Journal
"A stimulating survey of First World War ethnic politics.."
-The International History Review, December 2003
"Superb... well-conceived and elegantly written.."
-Nationalities Papers, June 2003

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0415242290
• ISBN 13: 9780415242295
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288