Arabs in World History. From Pre-Islamic Times to the Breakdown of the Colonial System

In the classic study by Bernard Lewis, one of the leading historians of the East in the world, the very concept of "Arab" and the place of the Arab people in world history is examined from pre-Islamic times to the... victory of the movement for independence and sovereignty in the mid-20th century. The author traces the emergence of Islam and the accompanying political, religious, and social events that transformed fragmented Arab tribes into an Islamic empire, and analyzes the internal and external factors that shaped the modern Arab world. Lewis shows how Western innovations and institutions destroyed the old structures and the traditional way of life of the Arabs, failing to satisfy their need for social, political, and cultural renewal.