---
product_id: 172497205
title: "The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of Its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers Paperback – 17 May 2004"
brand: "hanna batatu"
price: "149351CFA"
currency: XOF
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
category: "Books"
url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/172497205-the-old-social-classes-and-the-revolutionary-movements-of-iraq
store_origin: SN
region: Senegal
---

# The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of Its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers Paperback – 17 May 2004

**Brand:** hanna batatu
**Price:** 149351CFA
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of Its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers Paperback – 17 May 2004 by hanna batatu
- **How much does it cost?** 149351CFA with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/172497205-the-old-social-classes-and-the-revolutionary-movements-of-iraq)

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- hanna batatu enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted hanna batatu brand quality
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## Description

Review
        	
        	
        		
        			&quot;An indispensable foundation for any thoughts regarding the creation of a new Iraqi political order&quot;--&quot;Christian Science Monitor&quot; &quot;Batatu&apos;s book is by far the best book written on the social and political history of modern Iraq.&quot;--Ahmad Dallal, Stanford University
				    	
					
        		
        		
        	
        
        	
        		Synopsis 
        	
        	
        		
        			The late Hanna Batatu&apos;s landmark study of Iraq&apos;s social formation during the twentieth century is widely regarded as one of the most significant works of recent times dealing with Middle Eastern society and politics. Actually three volumes in one, it is one of the few books to have received the distinction of having an entire conference held to discuss its implications, at the University of Texas at Austin in March 1989. Now back in print, this classic work has assumed a new significance in light of Iraq&apos;s recent history.
				    	
					
        		
        		
        	
        
                
        
        
            
            
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## Images

![The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of Its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers Paperback – 17 May 2004 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/411RS0XF37L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Indispensible
            
*by G***L on 20 April 2006*

It is not possible to praise this book too highly and it is essential reading for many reasons.It is the seminal work of Iraqi social and political history of the Twentieth Century. Anyone who wishes to understand Iraqi society and politics today will need the background that this book provides.It is the history of how a society has reacted to the impact of it's contact with the industrial capitalist world, what it was like prior to this impact and what has happened to it as a result. How older social classes have dissolved under this influence and how new social classes have arisen in their place and the impact this has had on political movements in Iraq, principally the Ba'th and the Communist Party. If you want to understand what Ba'thism is and get beneath the propaganda and clichés, this book is essential. If you also want to understand what happened to the most powerful Communist Party in the Arab world and how this has shaped subsequent Iraqi and Middle Eastern history and politics. It also has clear analysis of the events which have shaped Iraqi history, the revolt of 1920, the coups of 1936 and 1941, the Wathbah of 1946, the revolution of 1958, the first Ba'thi coup of 1963 and those of 1968. Many of the understandings of these events that we in the West hold are shown to be inaccurate or highly simplistic.Most importantly of all, however, is the approach of the author. Hanna Batatu has got into Iraqi society and what makes it tick in a way which isn't possible if, as some do, one views countries such as Iraq as being held down under the dead weight of religion. The bankruptcy of  the old 'orientalist' approach is fully exposed as Batatu produces vaste amounts of data on politics, economics, religion, social class and geographical origins in order to illustrate the complex nature of the society and it's evolution in a way which traditional approaches to the history of 'Islamic' countries can't hope to match. Batatu demonstrates how Iraq's political movements and history are shaped by the struggles and aspirations of it's social classes rather than religious or ethnic sectarianism.Five stars isn't enough.
  

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An incomparable study of twentieth century Iraq
            
*by M***Y on 15 April 2013*

This is the best history of modern Iraq available in English, dealing mainly with the period between the revolt against British rule in 1920 and the final ascendancy of the Ba'ath Party in 1968.  A work of admirable and inspiring scholarship, it creates a complex and nuanced portrait of the country in a period of upheaval and change. It is the first book that any serious student of Iraqi history should read and it contains many insights and gems for those who do not have the patience or incentive to read it from cover to cover. It is, however, a splendid academic magnum opus rather than an easily assimilated rough guide!
  

### ⭐ A gruelling rread
            
*by W***0 on 13 April 2014*

7 years after I bought it  I still haven't  managed to read it. It is very dense with immense detail  but little overarching argument. I was disappointed with what is regarded as a classic. Above all I found it turgid but made 3 attempts to read sections  all of which were hard work
  

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*Product available on Desertcart Senegal*
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*Last updated: 2026-03-21*