Table Of ContentPalestine in Transformation, 1856-1882
Studies in Social, Economic and Political Development
Alexander Schölch
Available in English for the first time in its entirety, this seminal work by the
late German historian is indispensable for understanding the history of Palestine
in the decades following the introduction of the Ottoman Tanzimat (reforms).
Based on archival and consular materials, the studies show the extent to which the
processes of modernization and integration into the world economic system had
already begun in the crucial period before the first wave of Jewish immigration.
The work examines nineteenth-century European interest in the “Holy Land”
and how competing interests led to the economic penetration of the southern and
eastern periphery of the Mediterranean, and to the presence of British, French,
Prussian, and Russian consuls in Palestine. In light of European penetration, the
economic development of Palestine is discussed, focusing both on agrarian and
industrial advances.
The author goes on to describe the rivalries among the various local lords dur
ing the mid-nineteenth century and the eventual integration of these local leader
ships into the administrative structures of the Tanzimat. The text is enhanced and
clarified by fifty-one tables and eight maps.
Through its close examination of social, economic, and political developments
in Palestine during the late Ottoman period, Palestine in Transformation, 1856-
1882 provides an important background to the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli con
flict essential for students and scholars of the Middle East
About the Author
At the time of his death in 1986 at the age of 42, Alexander Schölch had
already earned wide renown in the field of Middle East studies. After acquiring a
solid knowledge of Middle Eastern languages and cultures at the universities of
Heidelberg, Munich, and Oxford, he did extensive research on the history of the
Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
His many articles on Egypt, Lebanon, the Ottoman Empire, and the Palestine
question show the application of modem social research methods to the histori
cal and political problems of the Middle East.
Dr. Schölch taught at the University of Essen, and at the time of his death
was Professor of Politics and Contemporary History of the Middle East at the
University of Erlangen, Germany.
Palestine in Transformation
1856-1882
Studies in Social, Economic
and Political Development
Palestine in Transformation
1856-1882
Studies in Social, Economic
and Political Development
Alexander Schölch
Translated by
William C. Young Michael C. Gerrity
Institute for Palestine Studies
Washington, D.C,
The Institute for Palestine Studies, founded in Beirut in 1963, is an
independent nonprofit Arab research and publication center, not affiliated
with any political organization or government. The opinions expressed in
its publications do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute.
Copyright © 1993 by the Institute for Palestine Studies.
All rights reserved. Reprinted 2006.
Copyright © 1986 of the original German edition, Palästina im Umbruch
1856-1882, by Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH, Sitz Stuttgart, P.O.B.
347, D-7000 Stuttgart 1, Germany. All rights reserved.
Cover photo: Jaffa. Middle East Centre, St. Anthony's College, Oxford,
England. Used with permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schölch, Alexander.
[Palästina im Umbrach, 1856-1882. English]
Palestine in transformation, 1856-1882: studies in social, economic,
and political development / Alexander Schölch; translated by William
C. Young, Michael C. Gerrity.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88728-307-1
1. Palestine—History—1799-1917. I. Title.
DS125.S29713 1993 93-18203
956.94’03—dc20 CIP
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................ix
List of Abbreviations...............................................................................................................xi
Introduction.................................................................................................................................1
PART I: LAND AND POPULATION
1. Palestine as an Historical-Geographical and Administrative Entity ... 9
2. Demographic Development...........................................................................19
PART II: EUROPEAN PENETRATION AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
3. European Interest in Palestine...................................................................47
The "Opening Up" of the "Holy Und" 47
The Establishment of the English and Prüssian Presence 50
France and Palestine 54
Russia and Palestine 57
European Palestine Politics in Perspective 59
"The Restoration of the Jews" 61
"The Peaceful Crusade" 65
Colonization Projects 70
4. The Economic Development of Palestine.......!..........................................77
The Problem 77
Foreign Trade and Agriculture 80
Export Orientation of Agricultural Production 80
Export Proceeds 93
Imports and Trade Balance 106
Land Ownership and Acquisition 110
The Development of the Cities and the Urban Economy 118
Preliminary Remarks 118
Jerusalem (al-Quds) 119
Jaffa (Yafa) and Communications with Jerusalem 134
Bethlehem (Bayt Lahm) 143
Nazareth (al-Nasira) and the Khan al-Tujjar 146
Haifa and the Templar Colonies 150
Acre ('Akka) 153
Safad and Tiberias (Tabariyya) 155
Nablus 157
Hebron (al-Khalil) 161
Gaza (Ghazza) 163
Summary 166
PART III: SOCIO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
5. Social Formation until the Mid-Nineteenth Century...........................171
The Problem 171
Feudalism in Palestine? 175
6. The Local Lords and the® Districts...............................................................181
Galilee 181
Jabal Nablus 183
Jabal al-Quds 186
Jabal al-Khalil 188
7. Qays and Yaman.....................................................................................................191
8. The Disempowerment of the Local Lords.......................................................197
Preliminary Remarks 197
'Aqil Agha in Lower Galilee 199
Jabal Nablus 209
Jabal al-Quds 227
Jabal al-Khalil 234
New Functions 238
9. A Palestinian Reformer: Yusuf al-Khaudi............................................241
10. Ottoman Reforms: Taxes and Solders....................................................253
11. Palestinian Reactions to Middle Eastern Crises.................................267
O Tempora, O Mores! 267
The Trauma of 1860 273
Sympathies for TJrabi , 278
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................283
Maps.............................................................................................................................................293
Bibliography............................................................................................................................303
Index 339
For
Rudolf von Albertini
Albert Hourani
Fritz Steppat
