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In 1948 the Nakbah resulted in the flight and expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians. This episode chronicles their experiences, focusing on the way the refugee crisis unfolded in three geographical contexts: Gaza, Jordan and Lebanon. Among other things, it highlights some of the initial challenges and reactions encountered in trying provide humanitarian assistance to them, the effects the refugees had on the local communities and the ways in which the refugee experience evolved over the course of time.  Our next episode will discuss the international community's reactions to the refugee situation in greater detail.

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In 1948, Palestinians suffered both dispossession and expulsion as a result of losing the civil war. But what became of the idea of the Palestinian nation? This episode explores the political and cultural fate of Palestinian nationalism in the 1950s, highlighting how and why in the postwar period Arab-controlled territory did not become an independent Palestinian state. At the same time, it also explores the ways in which the Nakbah paved the way for new expressions of Palestinian identity, helping to cement this sense of national belonging despite living in the Diaspora. The episode then ends with the death of the Jordanian king Abdullah I, whose efforts to subsume Palestinians into his Hashemite state became a pyrrhic victory. 

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In the second half of our installment on the building of the Israeli national community in the late 1940s and 1950s, we examine how Israelis paid for the massive expenses involved in resettling so many European and Middle Eastern Jews in the immediate aftermath of independence. We also discuss the fate of Palestinians living inside the new Israeli state, highlighting the discrimination they faced as outsiders in the Jewish state. Finally, we also discuss cultural efforts to develop a sense of Israeli nationality, ranging from what the State of Israel put on their money to the founding of the Israeli Holocaust museum Yad Vashem. 

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In this episode we return to the history of Israel/Palestine, looking at how Israelis built a national community in the late 1940s and early 1950s. As we'll see, this project was neither as straightforward nor as easy as Zionist ideology supposed, complicated by the influx of hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from both Europe and the Middle East in the late 1940s/early 1950s. The first part of the episode looks at the construction of the nascent Israeli state, while the second half focuses on the challenges brought on by the immigrants, who were in dire need of shelter, food and jobs. 

Note: this is the first of two episodes on the subject, which were originally recorded together.

jump links:

Intro (0:51)

Challenges of building a nation (2:40)

Building the Israeli state (16:06)

The challenge of immigration (32:08)

Ma’abarot (49:12)

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This episodes recounts the downfall of the Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini.  Topics covered include his initial dismissal in July 1943 (9:01), the 46 days (35:13), the German plot to rescue and restore him (43:40) and the Republic of Salo and the partisan civil war (50:15).  The episode concludes with some final reflections on the failures of fascism (1:04:46).

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This episodes examines the history of the Italian military under Benito Mussolini, shedding light on its oft-ignored contributions to the Axis war machine.  Among other things, it highlights the role Mussolini played in resisting Hitler before 1935 (11:00), a discussion of Italian colonialism (19:25), the fateful 1935 invasion of Ethiopia (29:07), the Italian role in World War II (53:12), the invasion of Egypt (1:03:52) and concludes with some observations about the dissonance between the rhetoric and reality of fascist power (1:15:10).  

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 After being named Prime Minister in Oct 1922, Mussolini and the PNF's political prospects were bright. But they had not yet built a dictatorship. This episode examines how Mussolini dismantled Italian democracy once in power, highlighting some of the key cultural strategies the PNF used to amass power. Jump links:

 Intro (0:51)

How to Build a Dictatorship (3:41)

The Initial Fascist Government (15:33) 

Relations with the Church (25:03)

Power through Language and Image (33:18)

The 1934 World Cup (44:01)

War on Law: the Acerbo Law (52:20)

Italian Racism and Anti-Judaism (1:07:35)

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On the morning of May 15, 1948, Israel declared its official independence; simultaneously several neighboring Arab states launched an invasion designed to prevent the new state from coming into being. This episode explores the contours of the war, revealing why Israel emerged victorious.  It also points out the consequences that followed for all sides, including the refugee crisis. Finally, the episode also highlight the Arab role in what became the total partition of Palestine - laying the foundations of the modern Middle East.

jump links:

Intro (0:50)

The Middle East context (4:06)

Strengths and weaknesses (6:53)

The War: part I (26:56)

Bernadotte & the First Truce (58:30)

The War: part II (1:07:07)

The War: part III (1:18:08)

consequences: the refugees (1:21:49)

consequences: existential Israel (1:35:22)

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In this episode, we continue our discussion of the Nakba and the Israeli War of Independence, focusing on the critical period between March and May 1948 when Israeli forces went over to the offensive. This included not only the collapse of Palestinian resistance, but also the intentional expulsion of the majority of Arabs living in what would become the new Jewish state. The episode discusses the horrific massacre of Deir Yessin and the ethnic cleansing of cities like Haifa and Tiberias. As always we place these events in their proper historical context, showing the rationale behind them and how they laid the foundation for the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jump links:

recap (2:26)

"Plan Dalet" and ethnic cleansing (3:28)

Operation Nachson (21:32)

Deir Yassin (26:03)

the cleansing of cities (35:28)

some conclusions (42:14)

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This episode continues our discussion of the Nakba and the Israeli War of Independence, covering the initial phases of the civil war between Jews and Arabs in Palestine from November 1947 to March 1948. The episode highlights the ways in which sporadic acts of violence in the wake of the passage of the UN partition resolution created an inertia towards civil war, while also evaluating some of the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the conflict. We'll also discuss some of the early massacres in the war, and learn how the notion of "retaliation" increasingly pushed the boundaries of what was thought of as acceptable acts of violence.

Jump links:

Intro (1:49)

A failed transfer of power (2:38)

Start of civil war (16:50)

Strength of the two sides (30:02)

Jewish operations and Balad al-Sheik (47:47)

Palestinian operations (1:04:48)

conclusion (1:09:01)

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For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.