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Very Short Introductions #507
Zionism: A Very Short Introduction
Zionism is the nationalist movement affirming Jewish people's right to self-determination through the establishment of a Jewish national state in its ancient homeland. It is one of the most controversial ideologies in the world. Its supporters laud its success at liberating the Jewish people after millennia of persecution and at securing the creation of Israel. But to its opponents, Zionism relies on a racist ideology culminating in Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and is one of the last manifestations of colonial oppression in the world. Since the late 1990s, the centrality of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the world news has sharpened this controversy, dramatically politicizing any attempt to understand Zionism and its significance as an intellectual and cultural movement.
In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Stanislawski presents an impartial and disinterested history of Zionist ideology from its origins to the present. Sharp and accessible, this book charts the crucial moments in the ideological development of Zionism, including the emergence of modern Jewish nationalism in early nineteenth century Europe, the founding of the Zionist movement by Theodor Herzl in 1897, the Balfour Declaration, the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion, the Six Day War in 1967, the rise of the "Peace Now" movement, and the election of conservative prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Stanislawski's balanced analysis of these controversial events illuminates why, despite the undeniable success in its goal of creating a Jewish state, profound questions remain today about the long-term viability of Zionist ideology in a rapidly destabilizing Middle East.
In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Stanislawski presents an impartial and disinterested history of Zionist ideology from its origins to the present. Sharp and accessible, this book charts the crucial moments in the ideological development of Zionism, including the emergence of modern Jewish nationalism in early nineteenth century Europe, the founding of the Zionist movement by Theodor Herzl in 1897, the Balfour Declaration, the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion, the Six Day War in 1967, the rise of the "Peace Now" movement, and the election of conservative prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Stanislawski's balanced analysis of these controversial events illuminates why, despite the undeniable success in its goal of creating a Jewish state, profound questions remain today about the long-term viability of Zionist ideology in a rapidly destabilizing Middle East.
152 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
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December 12, 2025
کتاب صهیونیسم از آقای مایکل استانیسلاوسکی از کتابهای مقدمهای بسیار کوتاه انتشارات آکسفورد هست که توسط نشر شوند و به ترجمه آقای غلامی شکارسرائی به تازگی وارد بازار کتاب ایران شده. همونطور که از این کتابها انتظار میره به صورت فشرده باید موضوع رو در صفحات نه چندان زیادی مطلب رو ارائه بده. کتاب 150 صفحه است و در انتها هم منابع بیشتری برای مطالعه توسط نویسنده معرفی و پیشنهاد شده. نویسنده تا دهه نود میلادی ریشه ها و گسترش و سیر تطور صهیونیسم رو توضیح میده. کتاب پر داده و پر شخصیتی است و علی رغم حجم کمش نیاز به تمرکز داره. دو نکته مثبت بزرگ کتاب برای من یکی همین نشان دادن دگرگونی و تغییرات این ایده در طول زمان و دیگری تسلط نویسنده بر منحرف نشدن از موضوع و ارائه یک روایت سر راست علی رغم جزئیات بود..
October 6, 2025
کتاب کمابیش موضعی ضد صهیونیستی داره، و برای همین خوندنش مفیده. آدم با دیدگاههای مختلف آشنا میشه و نظر دو طرف رو میشنوه.
June 2, 2024
I have read quite a few of the titles in Oxford’s “A Very Short Introduction” series and, in all cases, have been impressed by the balance and thoroughness of the treatment, despite the small size of the books. Given the heavy use of the word “Zionism” in today’s political news and the many conflicting views of it, I seized the chance of reading the book when I found it among the volumes on UCSB Library’s new-arrivals bookshelf.
Let me begin by listing the 10 chapters, excluding an epilogue, that average 11 pages in length and provide a good view of the book’s contents and structure:
1. The Jews: Religion or Nation? (pp. 1-10)
2. Modern Jewish Nationalism (pp. 11-21)
3. Theodore Herzl and the Creation of the Zionist Movement, 1897-1917 (pp. 22-34)
4. The Weizmann Era and the Balfour Declaration (pp. 35-43)
5. Socialist and Revisionist Zionism, 1917-1939 (pp. 44-50)
6. Zionism in World War II and Its Aftermath (pp. 51-63)
7. Zionism in a Jewish State, 1948-1967 (pp. 64-80)
8. Nationalism and Messianism, 1967-1977 (pp. 81-94)
9. Swing to the Right, 1977-1995 (pp. 95-105)
10. Transformation of Zionism Since 1995 (pp. 106-111)
Zionism, if defined as a nationalist movement affirming the right of Jews to self-determination, has a long history. However, the modern notion of Zionism is traced back to Theodor Herzl, who is credited with formulating the idea of a secular state for the Jews, which is quite different from a “Jewish state.” Herzl’s liberal, utopian vision (a sort of Jewish enlightenment) faced three opposing groups from within the movement. These were a “Democratic Faction,” which, fearing Herzl’s dictatorial tendencies, favored a revolutionary transformation based on secular Hebrew culture, the socialist/Marxist/communist front, which tended to emphasize solutions to the “Arab Problem” in Palestine, and the group that favored embracing Orthodox Judaism.
The internal conflicts of Zionism mirrored those of the broader European community (within which the movement grew), where nations were taking sides in multifaceted political and economic ideologies.
One of the inventors, if that’s the right word to use, of Jewish enlightenment was Moses Mendelssohn, a formidable philosopher of the 18th century, who viewed Judaism as just another religion that must be tolerated in a modern free state. Following this interpretation, it would have been feasible to integrate the Arabs, who formed the majority of the population in the new state, into a modern secular state run according to the latest scientific principles.
When Herzl died at the young age of 44, Chaim Weizmann, a renowned chemist with several important inventions to his credit, led the Zionism movement, though he didn’t enjoy broad acceptance right away. Weizmann tried to iron over some of the differences by gradually moving to combine cultural and political Zionism. Work on the “Arab Problem,” which had led to the consideration of other locations, such as Uganda in lieu of Palestine to site the new state, continued under his leadership.
Enlightenment meant that Jews had to abandon their roles as small-time merchants to become farmers, artisans, and professionals. Modern Jewish nationalism, with Hebrew as the common language, gained strong support, because it was seen as an antidote to assimilation, which some viewed as a grave danger. Europe’s rabbis “denounced Herzl as a heretical scoundrel out to destroy Judaism by disobeying God’s commandments.”
Over time, Zionists attracted support from politicians in Europe, who became sympathetic to the cause but who could not promise a homeland, given that they had no control over Palestine. The Balfour declaration laid out the support in principle, in a carefully-worded document which, postulates, among other conditions, “that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights or political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country” [p. 42].
World War II and the ensuing atrocities against the Jews empowered Zionism’s right-wing nationalists, who gradually gained more support. The desire to settle in Palestine intensified after WW II, when a large number of Jews in Displaced Persons Camps had no place to go. At about this time, the Soviet Union reversed its decades-long opposition to Zionism, in part, it is believed, to claim a stake in the power vacuum anticipated after the departure of the British from the Middle East.
It is noteworthy that Israel’s declaration of independence contained no mention of God or the “divine promise.” What united the new Israelis were the Hebrew language, a secular school system, and the decidedly-secular army. Once Israel was formed, governing proved difficult and many concessions and compromises had to be made to satisfy various factions. These included religious courts, observance of Saturdays and other religious holidays, serving kosher food in the army and government institutions, and allowing separate religious schools for ultra-orthodox Jews.
These concessions to the religious factions were not inevitable and, in retrospect, may have been fatal mistakes for the state of Israel. Religious groups made inroads owing to the inability of the secular and progressive groups to iron out their differences. Religious groups have also been blamed for the promised constitution not being written, because they insisted that any constitution should be based on Jewish law.
Beginning in the late 1970s, revisionist Zionism gained power, leading to peace with Egypt’s Sadat. A second major transformation occurred upon the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 and the migration of many Russian Jews to Israel.
It is interesting that the bulk of migrations to Israel have been by relatively poor Jews around the world. Jews in North America, for example, constitute a minute fraction of those relocating to Israel. There is a saying that in the Diaspora, “Zionism means one Jew collecting money from a second Jew to send a third Jew to Israel”!
In 1870, no one spoke Hebrew as their primary tongue, whereas roughly 8 million people speak the language fluently now. It is remarkable that in the history of Zionism, beginning with Herzl, not one single leader of the movement or Israeli Prime Minister has been a practicing Jew. At this writing, Zionists are predominantly secular, the only exception being a small group of ultra-orthodox Jews.
The state of Israel was finally created in 1948 under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion, five decades after Herzl initiated the Zionist movement. The Zionists success in bringing the state of Israel about and the remarkable social and technical accomplishments of the state are marred by a longstanding, and seemingly insoluble, conflict in the region, as the Middle East sinks further into destabilization.
The anthem of Zionists, “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”), which later became the Israeli national anthem, contains the following words: “We have not yet lost our hope.” The hope of “[being] a free nation in our own land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem” has at best been only partially realized.
Let me begin by listing the 10 chapters, excluding an epilogue, that average 11 pages in length and provide a good view of the book’s contents and structure:
1. The Jews: Religion or Nation? (pp. 1-10)
2. Modern Jewish Nationalism (pp. 11-21)
3. Theodore Herzl and the Creation of the Zionist Movement, 1897-1917 (pp. 22-34)
4. The Weizmann Era and the Balfour Declaration (pp. 35-43)
5. Socialist and Revisionist Zionism, 1917-1939 (pp. 44-50)
6. Zionism in World War II and Its Aftermath (pp. 51-63)
7. Zionism in a Jewish State, 1948-1967 (pp. 64-80)
8. Nationalism and Messianism, 1967-1977 (pp. 81-94)
9. Swing to the Right, 1977-1995 (pp. 95-105)
10. Transformation of Zionism Since 1995 (pp. 106-111)
Zionism, if defined as a nationalist movement affirming the right of Jews to self-determination, has a long history. However, the modern notion of Zionism is traced back to Theodor Herzl, who is credited with formulating the idea of a secular state for the Jews, which is quite different from a “Jewish state.” Herzl’s liberal, utopian vision (a sort of Jewish enlightenment) faced three opposing groups from within the movement. These were a “Democratic Faction,” which, fearing Herzl’s dictatorial tendencies, favored a revolutionary transformation based on secular Hebrew culture, the socialist/Marxist/communist front, which tended to emphasize solutions to the “Arab Problem” in Palestine, and the group that favored embracing Orthodox Judaism.
The internal conflicts of Zionism mirrored those of the broader European community (within which the movement grew), where nations were taking sides in multifaceted political and economic ideologies.
One of the inventors, if that’s the right word to use, of Jewish enlightenment was Moses Mendelssohn, a formidable philosopher of the 18th century, who viewed Judaism as just another religion that must be tolerated in a modern free state. Following this interpretation, it would have been feasible to integrate the Arabs, who formed the majority of the population in the new state, into a modern secular state run according to the latest scientific principles.
When Herzl died at the young age of 44, Chaim Weizmann, a renowned chemist with several important inventions to his credit, led the Zionism movement, though he didn’t enjoy broad acceptance right away. Weizmann tried to iron over some of the differences by gradually moving to combine cultural and political Zionism. Work on the “Arab Problem,” which had led to the consideration of other locations, such as Uganda in lieu of Palestine to site the new state, continued under his leadership.
Enlightenment meant that Jews had to abandon their roles as small-time merchants to become farmers, artisans, and professionals. Modern Jewish nationalism, with Hebrew as the common language, gained strong support, because it was seen as an antidote to assimilation, which some viewed as a grave danger. Europe’s rabbis “denounced Herzl as a heretical scoundrel out to destroy Judaism by disobeying God’s commandments.”
Over time, Zionists attracted support from politicians in Europe, who became sympathetic to the cause but who could not promise a homeland, given that they had no control over Palestine. The Balfour declaration laid out the support in principle, in a carefully-worded document which, postulates, among other conditions, “that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights or political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country” [p. 42].
World War II and the ensuing atrocities against the Jews empowered Zionism’s right-wing nationalists, who gradually gained more support. The desire to settle in Palestine intensified after WW II, when a large number of Jews in Displaced Persons Camps had no place to go. At about this time, the Soviet Union reversed its decades-long opposition to Zionism, in part, it is believed, to claim a stake in the power vacuum anticipated after the departure of the British from the Middle East.
It is noteworthy that Israel’s declaration of independence contained no mention of God or the “divine promise.” What united the new Israelis were the Hebrew language, a secular school system, and the decidedly-secular army. Once Israel was formed, governing proved difficult and many concessions and compromises had to be made to satisfy various factions. These included religious courts, observance of Saturdays and other religious holidays, serving kosher food in the army and government institutions, and allowing separate religious schools for ultra-orthodox Jews.
These concessions to the religious factions were not inevitable and, in retrospect, may have been fatal mistakes for the state of Israel. Religious groups made inroads owing to the inability of the secular and progressive groups to iron out their differences. Religious groups have also been blamed for the promised constitution not being written, because they insisted that any constitution should be based on Jewish law.
Beginning in the late 1970s, revisionist Zionism gained power, leading to peace with Egypt’s Sadat. A second major transformation occurred upon the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 and the migration of many Russian Jews to Israel.
It is interesting that the bulk of migrations to Israel have been by relatively poor Jews around the world. Jews in North America, for example, constitute a minute fraction of those relocating to Israel. There is a saying that in the Diaspora, “Zionism means one Jew collecting money from a second Jew to send a third Jew to Israel”!
In 1870, no one spoke Hebrew as their primary tongue, whereas roughly 8 million people speak the language fluently now. It is remarkable that in the history of Zionism, beginning with Herzl, not one single leader of the movement or Israeli Prime Minister has been a practicing Jew. At this writing, Zionists are predominantly secular, the only exception being a small group of ultra-orthodox Jews.
The state of Israel was finally created in 1948 under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion, five decades after Herzl initiated the Zionist movement. The Zionists success in bringing the state of Israel about and the remarkable social and technical accomplishments of the state are marred by a longstanding, and seemingly insoluble, conflict in the region, as the Middle East sinks further into destabilization.
The anthem of Zionists, “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”), which later became the Israeli national anthem, contains the following words: “We have not yet lost our hope.” The hope of “[being] a free nation in our own land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem” has at best been only partially realized.
January 24, 2022
very informative and written from an unbiased viewpoint. an important read about the history of zionism and formation of israel, my only wish is that the book detailed more about the palestinians and the actual genocide that takes place. but then again this is only a short introduction and not an in depth explanation of the issue
August 1, 2020
A surprisingly fair history and chronicles the far-right direction of Israeli politics. I would have liked to learn more about ideological Zionism itself, but only so much you can do in 110 pages. Impressive how much was packed in, and some really insightful sections as well.
November 26, 2023
A surprisingly succinct summary of the ideology's ideological sources, growth, and divisions. Unlike a lot of these Very Short Introduction's, the author has written a tight and easy-to-follow overview of a complicated subject. A must-read given world events. Needless to say, Zionism has changed a lot since Auto-Emancipation and Herzl—makes you wonder what those early guards would think of the country today.
Most interesting fact I learned: Herzl's congresses naturally had a Babel-like mix of languages and they eventually settled into a "Kongressdeutsch"—a mix of unadorned German and Yiddish. Delightful.
Most interesting fact I learned: Herzl's congresses naturally had a Babel-like mix of languages and they eventually settled into a "Kongressdeutsch"—a mix of unadorned German and Yiddish. Delightful.
September 24, 2024
Extremely concise and informative, unbiased, and short paragraphs are definitely a plus when it comes to helping the reader have time to think about what has been read and absorb information. Highly recommend it.
May 27, 2022
This book did an incredibly good job of what it promised to do.
The book was informative and more importantly very balanced(though perhaps with a slight pro Israel lean if you looked really hard). I learned a lot and found it really interesting!
Kudos to the author for tackling such a tough and charged issue in such a well done way.
The book was informative and more importantly very balanced(though perhaps with a slight pro Israel lean if you looked really hard). I learned a lot and found it really interesting!
Kudos to the author for tackling such a tough and charged issue in such a well done way.
June 17, 2020
This is the Oxford VSI that I have read that best delivers on the promise of the series: it is a short book that gets you up to speed at a beginner level on the topic. Stanislawski's topic is Zionism, as opposed to Israel or Israel and Palestine in general. There is little in here about the interminable debate over what precisely happened in 1948. Instead, Stanislawski discusses the origins of Zionist ideas and why those ideas have been convincing (to some people) since the late nineteenth century. There is also none of the just-below-the-surface party passion that makes it difficult to trust many histories of Zionism.
August 8, 2020
Detailed and indiscriminate. The author gives a brilliant factual outline of the birth and development of intellectual, cultural and religious Zionism, its place in the world and its changes over time.
I would personally love to read the author’s own views on Zionism dispersed throughout the chapters of the book but fear this could change the quality of reading simple, factual and unbiased information.
Great intro read!
I would personally love to read the author’s own views on Zionism dispersed throughout the chapters of the book but fear this could change the quality of reading simple, factual and unbiased information.
Great intro read!
January 6, 2025
Very good and very bad at the same time. The first part of the book is excellent. The discussion of the relationship of Zionism to the contemporary trends in Jewish and non-Jewish thought is brilliant. It delves into the tensions between Zionism and the reform and Orthodox movements, and the influence of the Haskalah and European nationalism in just a couple of chapters. Though I differ on his interpretation of the Haskalah, this is the best layout of the ideological context in which Zionism arises, by far.
Now the bad. The author completely ignores the links between Zionism and the Palestinian question. One of the most, if not the most, salient aspect of Zionism is its exclusivism. It was, from the beginning, a political ideology concerned exclusively with the destiny of Jews. Its politics of exclusion were evident from the very beginning in the writings of Herzl, Nordau, Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion, and almost every single relevant Zionist figure. Even a cursory reading of these figures shows they were soaked in racist and colonial ideology. These foundations enabled the creation of a political subject that excluded the Arabs who were already living in Palestine. Hence, the root of the Palestinian problem can be found in these early Zionist writings. Zionism in both its early and later forms, aimed (and still does) for a Jewish majority in a demographically non-Jewish territory. This axiom necessarily implies violence, and Stanislawski completely fails to see this. When he mentions issues like the displacement of Palestinians or the brutality of the occupation, he treats them as incidental, mere policy accidents, even though they were often explicit in the writings he surveys. This omission is so glaring that it ruins the whole book. This is not a side question, the exclusion of non-Jewish Arabs IS Zionism.
To end on a higher note, the contradictions within contemporary Israeli society that he identifies are not only still present but have intensified. His political commentary is, throughout the book but particularly in the latter part, far-sighted and remains relevant.
Now the bad. The author completely ignores the links between Zionism and the Palestinian question. One of the most, if not the most, salient aspect of Zionism is its exclusivism. It was, from the beginning, a political ideology concerned exclusively with the destiny of Jews. Its politics of exclusion were evident from the very beginning in the writings of Herzl, Nordau, Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion, and almost every single relevant Zionist figure. Even a cursory reading of these figures shows they were soaked in racist and colonial ideology. These foundations enabled the creation of a political subject that excluded the Arabs who were already living in Palestine. Hence, the root of the Palestinian problem can be found in these early Zionist writings. Zionism in both its early and later forms, aimed (and still does) for a Jewish majority in a demographically non-Jewish territory. This axiom necessarily implies violence, and Stanislawski completely fails to see this. When he mentions issues like the displacement of Palestinians or the brutality of the occupation, he treats them as incidental, mere policy accidents, even though they were often explicit in the writings he surveys. This omission is so glaring that it ruins the whole book. This is not a side question, the exclusion of non-Jewish Arabs IS Zionism.
To end on a higher note, the contradictions within contemporary Israeli society that he identifies are not only still present but have intensified. His political commentary is, throughout the book but particularly in the latter part, far-sighted and remains relevant.
August 10, 2025
Zionism: A Very Short Introduction by Stanislawski does a good job at summarizing the beginnings of Zionism, the creation of Israel, and its subsequent transformation.
In its goal of appearing “neutral”, the book leaves out key information about the Arab Revolt of 36-39 in which the British decimated Palestinian’s ability to fight back in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, how the US has been placing their “thumb on the scale” for Israel since 1967. The book mentions the settlers in the West Bank, part of a religious cult that deems Israeli’s military victories as phase in the coming of a messiah. However it fails to mention the senseless violence and murders they commit against innocent Palestinians and how their “settlements” involve violently evicting Palestinians from their homes. All of this with the approval and assistance of the IDF. It also makes little mention of Gaza and Israel’s frequent incursions into Gaza to slaughter Palestinians (All of this pre October 2023).
The author however does explore the internal issues facing Israel and Zionist ideology, delving into the controversial topic in Israel of “What is a Jew” as well as the fierce disagreements between the ultra orthodox and the majority secular population in terms of military service and the future direction of Israel (secular vs religious)
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to Zionism.
In its goal of appearing “neutral”, the book leaves out key information about the Arab Revolt of 36-39 in which the British decimated Palestinian’s ability to fight back in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, how the US has been placing their “thumb on the scale” for Israel since 1967. The book mentions the settlers in the West Bank, part of a religious cult that deems Israeli’s military victories as phase in the coming of a messiah. However it fails to mention the senseless violence and murders they commit against innocent Palestinians and how their “settlements” involve violently evicting Palestinians from their homes. All of this with the approval and assistance of the IDF. It also makes little mention of Gaza and Israel’s frequent incursions into Gaza to slaughter Palestinians (All of this pre October 2023).
The author however does explore the internal issues facing Israel and Zionist ideology, delving into the controversial topic in Israel of “What is a Jew” as well as the fierce disagreements between the ultra orthodox and the majority secular population in terms of military service and the future direction of Israel (secular vs religious)
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to Zionism.
March 1, 2021
Given the short length of the book and the polarizing nature of the topic, I was impressed with Stanislawski's treatment. The early chapters that primarily focused on the historical origins of Zionism and debates within the Zionist movement, and Jewish community more generally, were quite illuminating. Perhaps what I found the most interesting were the discussions around who the state of Israel considers to be a "Jew" and interplay between nationalism and religion within the recently created state. While I understand this is a book about Zionism, I would have appreciated a greater discussion of the Palestinians. Also the very short discussion of the 67' War was a little off in my opinion.
I highly recommend this short book to anyone interested in a brief explanation and history of the Zionist movement.
I highly recommend this short book to anyone interested in a brief explanation and history of the Zionist movement.
June 28, 2025
Excellent book that does a great job in stating what it sets out to do, and then fulfilling that promise. I wanted a summary of Zionism and its history from a dispassionate perspective, which is difficult to find, really, considering the controversial nature of the topic. But this book at the beginning states doing exactly that as a goal, and then goes through the history of Zionism in a chronology, taking time to note internal divisions, external conflicts, and controversial events. Definitely a useful read for anyone searching for a way to just get a hold of information for, if nothing else, as a springboard to look deeper into the topic.
January 10, 2018
This is an excellent little introduction to Zionism. The book begins by wrestling with the question of whether Jewishness is a religion or a nationality, explaining the religious and cultural longing of Jews to return to Palestine, along with the birth of nationalism. It then does a good job of explaining the different strands of Zionism through the late 1800s through the founding of the State of Israel and down to the present, showing the tension that still exists between the religious and secular Jews of the world and the different visions that so many Zionists have. Pretty good read.
November 9, 2018
Chapter 1: The Jews: Religion or Nation?
Chapter 2: Modern Jewish nationalism, 1872-1897
Chapter 3: Theodor Herzl and the creation of the Zionist movement, 1897-1917
Chapter 4: The Weizmann era and the Balfour Declaration
Chapter 5: Socialist and Revisionist Zionisms, 1917-1939
Chapter 6: Zionism in World War II and its aftermath
Chapter 7: Zionism in a Jewish state, 1948-1967
Chapter 8: Nationalism and messianism, 1967-1977
Chapter 9: Swing to the right, 1977-1995
Chapter 10: Transformations of Zionism since 1995
Epilogue
Chapter 2: Modern Jewish nationalism, 1872-1897
Chapter 3: Theodor Herzl and the creation of the Zionist movement, 1897-1917
Chapter 4: The Weizmann era and the Balfour Declaration
Chapter 5: Socialist and Revisionist Zionisms, 1917-1939
Chapter 6: Zionism in World War II and its aftermath
Chapter 7: Zionism in a Jewish state, 1948-1967
Chapter 8: Nationalism and messianism, 1967-1977
Chapter 9: Swing to the right, 1977-1995
Chapter 10: Transformations of Zionism since 1995
Epilogue
January 16, 2024
I had to read this for class. Provides, what seems to be, an unbiased (whatever that word means), or perhaps more academic, historical account of the formation of Zionism and the modern state of Israel. I was hoping for more discourse surrounding the Palestinian situation and the idea of Israel being a settler state, which was briefly mentioned although no in-depth analysis was provided. However, this was a great introduction and I now want to find literature concerning the historical and current issues that the Palestinian people are facing.
March 6, 2025
I normally love these short introduction books, but this one really had nothing new for me, which is not the fault of the book, but if you have already read anything about Israel, then you should know most, if not all of this. More than that, while you could argue this was not biased, it also left out a lot, like the nuclear arsenal Isreal hid from the US. If you want to really learn about Zionism, there is a 3 part Alan hart series that will tell you more than this.
July 18, 2021
Good history lesson!
December 31, 2022
Feel genuinely better informed and more confident on the subject after having read this. Total result.
March 15, 2024
A short read and a very accessible entry point into learning about the rise of Zionism and its impact on both the Palestinian people and the Jewish Diaspora.
March 21, 2024
Unbiased and informative.
May 23, 2024
Well written review about Zionism. I found it interesting to read that many Zionists are nonreligious.
June 26, 2024
Very informative read about the history of Zionism. It was easy to follow and I learned a lot.
March 13, 2025
Good read! Very interesting how at the beginning most of Zionism most Orthodox Jews saw secular Zionism as heretical! Wasn’t hooked reading however
August 7, 2024
I suppose this is as “unbiased” as it could be in just relaying the history of Zionism but the nakba being reduced to one sentence while there’s several paragraphs detailing Palestinian violence against kibbutzim etc feels disingenuous to say the least
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews