M.E.- Introduction and Part 1 PDF

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Summary and reflection about Part 1 of the textbook and chapter 1...

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Avery Apanius *These summaries are from the 3rd edition of the Gelvin book. I have purchased the 4th edition, and I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Introduction I believe that one of the main points the author is trying to get across in this introduction is that we need to stop viewing the Middle East through a filter. Anytime the Middle East in mentioned, most people have a predetermined idea or view of that area of the world. Moreover, we need to view the massive, influential empires and nations that comprise the Middle East, and give them proper, unbiased respect and recognition for the great influence it has had on the world today. For example, Rome was a diverse, successful and flawed Empire and region of the world. As an empire, Rome committed many atrocities, but we still recognize the influence they had on the world. Both during that time and today. This is true for the entire world; the US, China, Europe, Egypt. History is not about being perfect, but instead learning from our mistakes and success in order to be the best citizen we can today. It is arrogant and inappropriate to disenfranchise an entire area based off of bigotry, ignorance, or prejudice. Chapter 1 There is a region of the world that is recognized as the Islamic “core area”. This core area is defined by 5 different parts or locations: Levant, Persia (Iran), Mesopotamia, Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt. Islam formed during an era in history called Late Antiquity, 4th-7th century. During this time, the region we now know as the Middle East, was controlled by two nations: the Roman and Sasanian Empires. Specifically, Islam actually started in 622 A.D. when Muhammad, a merchant, received the word of God through the archangel Gabriel. During his life, there was little support for Islam, and it was all centered around the Arabian Peninsula. After Muhammad died, there was a period of vast expansion of Islam. 100 years after his death, Islam spread all throughout the core area, as previously discussed. Chapter 2 This chapter focuses on a new era in Middle East history. This is when civilizations were introduced to guns, which revolutionized warfare and redefined power. There is a new type of leadership or state in the area now that is called “military-patronage state.” Within the militarypatronage state there are three essential characteristics. First, there was a chief military leader who would be in control of this state. Secondly, all economic resources belonged to the ruling family. This family would then redistribute the wealth throughout the state. This obviously led to corruption and an influx of bribery. Last, the military-patronage state had combined aspects of dynastic law, local custom, and Islamic law that created the law of the land. Previous to the invention of gunpowder, the military-patronage state was unstable, and never lasted long. Gunpowder ended this because it gave the owner an extraordinary advantage over others in warfare.

Chapter 3 Now, with the establishment of the Ottoman and Safavid empires, the Middle East was growing and ready to join the newly established modern world system. In the new modern world system, the economy is divided politically, but are united economically. All in all, the many nations and states throughout the world participate in an integrated economic system. In other words, there is one single market. This transition into a new modern world system was originally pushed and energized by the Western world (U.S. and Europe). The Ottoman empire had to stabilize their economy in order to keep up with the pace of the rest of the world. Here are some ways in which they successfully did this: repairing and building infrastructure, collecting taxes more efficiently, and regulating labor practices. Chapter 4 In chapter 4, the author discusses the Protestant Reformation and the wide affects that had on the world. Europe, as a result, was now broken into many states with specific, strict boundaries. This reformation led to the nations in Europe to be extremely competitive, and, ultimately, redefined diplomacy. This led to what was called the “Eastern Question”. The sixteenth century was a time of expansive growth and success for the Ottoman Empire. Once the major western powers saw weaknesses within the empire, they attacked in many different ways in order to break the nation down and divide the land....