Hanna Batatu

Now back in print, this classic work has assumed a new significance in light of Iraq`s recent history. The late Hanna Batatu`s landmark study of Iraq`s social formation during the twentieth century is widely regarded as one of the most significant works of recent times dealing with Middle Eastern society and politics. Originally published in 1978, it is one of the very few comprehensive, primary source-based histories of any Arab country ever written. In the course of pursuing research in Iraq, Batatu happened to meet Abdul Karim Qassem who later went on to lead Iraq after the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in 1958. The prior friendship resulted in Batatu gaining access to otherwise secret state archives. Combined with extensive interviews and on-the-ground research, The Old Social Classes catapulted Iraq into a new light. At nearly 1,300 pages the work is dense with detail including large numbers of tables and raw data to illustrate his analytical points.

A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of Its Communists, Baʻthists, and Free Officers

The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq

abnāʼ wujhāʼihim al-rīfīyyin al-aqal shaʼnan wa sīyāsātuhm

Falāḥū Sūrīyah

العراق

‫فلاحو سورية

العراق الطبقات الإجتماعية والحركات لثورية من العهد العثماني حتى قيام الجمهورية الكتاب الأول

This comparative study analyses the traditional elite of Iraq and their sucessors - the Communists, the Bathists and Free Officers - in terms of social and economic relationships in each area of the country. The author draws on secret government documents and interviews with key figures, both in power and in prison, to produce an engrossing story of political struggle and change. 'A landmark in Middle Eastern historical study' Roger Owen, International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 'By far the best book written on the social and political history of modern Iraq' Ahmad Dallal, Professor of Middle Eastern History, Stanford University

A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba`thists and Free Officers

In this book, the distinguished scholar Hanna Batatu presents a comprehensive analysis of the recent social, economic, and political evolution of Syria's peasantry, the segment of society from which the current holders of political power stem. Batatu focuses mainly on the twentieth century and, in particular, on the Ba`th movement, the structures of power after the military coup d'état of 1963, and the era of îvfiz al-Asad, Syria's first ruler of peasant extraction. Without seeking to prove any single theory about Syrian life, he offers a uniquely rich and detailed account of how power was transferred from one demographic group to another and how that power is maintained today. Batatu begins by examining social differences among Syria's peasants and the evolution of their mode of life and economic circumstances. He then scrutinizes the peasants' forms of consciousness, organization, and behavior in Ottoman and Mandate times and prior to the Ba`thists' rise to power. He explores the rural aspects of Ba`thism and shows that it was not a single force but a plurality of interrelated groups--prominent among them the descendants of the lesser rural notables--with different social goals and mental horizons. The book also provides a perceptive account of President Asad, his personality and conduct, and the characteristics and power structures of his regime. Batatu draws throughout on a wide range of socioeconomic and biographical information and on personal interviews with Syrian peasants and political leaders, offering invaluable insights into the complexities of a country and a regime that have long been poorly understood by outsiders.

Hanna Batatu

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