Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948 (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C) (0804737762) - Reviews and Prices
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Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948 (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C) (0804737762) - Customer Reviews, Information, Ratings, and Prices
Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948 (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C) (0804737762) - Reviews and Prices
This book traces the history of attitudes toward power and the use of armed force within the Zionist movement--from an early period in which most leaders espoused an ideal of peaceful settlement in Palestine, to the acceptance of force as a legitimate tool for achieving a sovereign Jewish state. Reviews "A rich and sophisticated work that nicely complements more conventional political-historical studies of the Arab-Israeli conflict. . . . Shapira sifts through a vast body of material, ranging from essays, poems, and memoir literature to the unpublished minutes of political party and youth group meetings. Shapira interprets these sources with sensitivity and insight . . . and writes with power, compassion, and warmth. . . . A landmark book that is an outstanding contribution to the history of Zionist political thought and culture." --American Historical Review "This is a superb book . . . a well-researched, detailed, and scholarly account that provides new and valuable insights into the dilemma posed by the formation and elaboration of a more forceful Israeli military posture." --The Historian "Shapira's powerful, well-written, lucid intellectual history of a segment of the Zionist movement . . . is fascinating and easy to read." --Journal of Economic Literature
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Scholarly, balanced, important:
Finally, a work on Zionism that avoid polemic and engages in truly important question on the changing nature of Zionism over the course of the twentieth century and the reasons and means by which the movement felt the need to resort to force. As both a Jew and Zionist, I am often disappointed by the simplistic books that come out supporting Israel and naturally disgusted by the mass of anti-Israel trash that is produced. Shapira's work, however, is something different from both. One gets that... more info
Scholarly and informative:
In spite of the extreme popularity of the subject, there are surprisingly few scholarly works about Zionism. Much of the material that has been produced has paid more attention to political correctness than historical accuracy. I am glad to say that this book is a serious and scholarly work. The book starts by explaining the extent to which the Jews of the early nineteenth century had spent centuries as non-belligerents and pacifists. This was due in part to an aversion of war and to an even... more info
Fine background:
This book differs from many histories of Israel by reaching into 19th century to examine and explain the roots and context for the Jewish nationalism that preceded Israel's 1948 establishment as a state. Shapira's first chapter explains the plight of Europe's oppressed Jews, which led to Theodore Herzl's convocation of the first Zionist meeting in Switzerland in 1896. Although periodic slaughters never reached the level of the Chmielnicki pogroms in 1648 and 1649, which left more than 100,000 Jews... more info
