| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 111.3

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the AHR online. About 287 words from this article are provided below; about 551 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the American Historical Association, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time. AHA members can go to the AHA individual membership section to locate their member numbers.
If you are not a member of the American Historical Association, you can:: • Join the AHA and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the American Historical Review.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the American Historical Review (104.3-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the American Historical Review.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 111.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Middle East and Northern Africa

Michael Provence. The Great Syrian Revolt and the Rise of Arab Nationalism. (Modern Middle East Series, number 22.) Austin: University of Texas Press. 2005. Pp. xii, 209. Cloth $50.00, paper $21.95.
As there is no mention of the rise of Arab nationalism in Michael Provence's book, this review will only relate to the Syrian revolt against the French referred to in the first half of the book's title. The revolt, described by the author as the first mass movement against colonial rule in the Middle East (although the Iraqi revolt against the British in 1920 preceded it), lasted from mid-1925 to mid-1927, but only its first phase (up to early 1926) is described in this book.	1
Contrary to other writers about this period, who concentrated on the Syrian urban elites, Provence lays emphasis on the Syrian masses in the countryside. His main interest is in the Druze regions of southern Syria, the revolt's stronghold, and the connections that existed between these rural regions and Damascus. Provence's main theory is that the grain trade between the Druze producers and the Damascene merchants created a relationship that later made possible the outbreak of a joint revolt against the French. Also participating were Syrian former officers in the Ottoman Army, men of a modest background who gave the revolt much of its national character. Hence, according to Provence, the Syrian revolt also constituted the first collision between the old urban elite, dominant in Syria from Ottoman times until the end of the French mandate (hardly any of it took an active part in the revolt), and the new rural elites, who would take the reins of government afterward.	. . .

There are about 551 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.