The History of Turkey:

by Douglas A. Howard

The history of Turkey is a tumultuous one. In a succinct narrative, this study surveys the history of Turkey from the Neolithic age to the Byzantine age, then into the industrial age, and finally into the 21st century. Emphasizing the development of the republic since 1923, it offers the most up-to-date information on this nation. Howard, an authority in the field, shows how Turkey's political, economic, and social system developed as a result of the founding vision of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and circumstances of the Cold War. The history concentrates on the establishment of the Turkish republic as a single-party state in the first half of the 20th century and on the development of politics, the economy, and society during the Cold War years. The work includes a timeline of important events in the history of Turkey, biographies of its leading figures, a glossary of terms, and a bibliographic essay. This narrative history is ideal for student use and for updating library collections on the history of Turkey.

Genres: History

241 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[JUDITH KLAYMAN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise history of Turkey that focuses over half the book on 20th and early 21st century Turkish history. It goes quickly and names a good many historical figures in quick succession, so without some background in the history of Turkey it could be difficult to follow. But I had enough background to follow the flow and did not focus so much on remembering names or details, but rather on gaining a basic understanding of Turkish history.

[Becca Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent concise overview of Turkish history.

[myra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really appreciated the organization of this book. Super quick read and impressively thorough, surprised by how much I learned and how concise it was given how tiny the book is!

[Strong Extraordinary Dreams · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me: I thought it was rather light

For others: Could be a great starter, if you want an easy overview of a new subject.

This book does point out that Turkey is quite different from how it's commonly viewed:
* It is a manufacturing centre, a huge manufacturer of comparatively cheap products to be sold to EU countries or integrated into EU countries' own products.
* It is a genuinely Islamic country, but historically the practices have been mild: social, village-life orientated, "mystical" could be a good phenomenological term. The recent attempts at hardening Islamic practices have basically failed, but the government has scattered mosques everywhere.
* Turkey's educated population looks to the west, tries to migrate to the west, trades with the west, admires the west, engages in western customs.
* Turkey's un-educated population looks to the west, tries to migrate to the west, trades with the west, admires the west, wants Turkish football teams to succeed in European competitions.

This book is good in that it lays out such details. But, if you are beyond that already, then maybe choose another book.