A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion
By Tom Segev
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
As the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion long ago secured his reputation as a leading figure of the twentieth century. Determined from an early age to create a Jewish state, he took control of the Zionist movement, declared Israel's independence, and navigated his country through wars, controversies and remarkable achievements.
In this definitive biography, Tom Segev uses previously unreleased archival material to give an original, nuanced account that transcends the myths and legends that have built up around the man. He reveals Ben-Gurion's secret negotiations with the British on the eve of Israel's independence, his willingness to countenance the forced transfer of Arab neighbors, his relative indifference to Jerusalem, and his occasional eccentric moments – from UFO sightings to plans for Israel to acquire territory in South America.
The result is a full and startling portrait of a man who sought a state 'at any cost' – at times through risk-taking, violence, and unpredictability, and at other times through compromise, moderation and reason. Segev's Ben-Gurion is neither a saint nor a villain but a twentieth-century leader whose iron will and complex temperament left a contentious legacy, and one of the world's most intractable national conflicts.
Praise for A State at Any Cost:'A must for anybody interested in both the glorious and the dark pages of the history of Zionism and Israel, as reflected throughout the life and times of the Jewish State's most important founding father' SAUL FRIEDLÄNDER
'The story of a hard-headed, pragmatic and ruthless politician, told without sentimentality or nostalgia. It also serves as a key to understanding today's Israel, which is still very much Ben-Gurion's creation' THE TIMES
'Fascinating... A masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man... This is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power' THE ECONOMIST
Tom Segev
Tom Segev is a columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper, and author of several works on the history of Israel: 1949: The First Israelis; The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust; and One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate. He lives in Jerusalem.
Read more from Tom Segev
One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51949 the First Israelis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to A State at Any Cost
Related ebooks
The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Ishmael's House: A History of Jews in Muslim Lands Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Land of Blood and Honey: The Rise of Modern Israel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Israel: A History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Jewish State: The Historic Essay that Led to the Creation of the State of Israel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51917. From Palestine to the Land of Israel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Army Like No Other: How the Israel Defense Force Made a Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wandering Who: A Study of Jewish Identity Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nachman Syrkin, Socialist Zionist: A Biographical Memoir and Selected Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Six Day War: The Breaking of the Middle East Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Myths of Zionism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blockade: The Story of Jewish Immigration to Palestine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah's Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews, Volume 2: David Becomes Goliath Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews, Volume 3: Conflict Without End? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Israel: A History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Friendly Fire: how Israel became its own worst enemy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Netanyahu Years Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nasser's Gamble: How Intervention in Yemen Caused the Six-Day War and the Decline of Egyptian Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The United States, the Soviet Union and the Arab-Israeli conflict, 1948–67: Superpower rivalry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May Never End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invention of the Jewish People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Debating Palestine and Israel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssential Israel: Essays for the 21st Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters: Pioneers of a New Jewish Identity, 1843-1914 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIsrael: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jewish State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Political Biographies For You
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Trump in the White House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mein Kampf Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Enough Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Profiles in Courage: Deluxe Modern Classic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Washington: The Indispensable Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letter to a Bigot: Dead But Not Forgotten Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story of the Trapp Family Singers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Watergate: A New History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nelson Mandela Biography: The Long Walk to Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A State at Any Cost
5 ratings0 reviews