Page 39 - Begrave Thesis_Neat

British Empire’. Further, the strategic importance of the Middle East to Britain is
67
summarised into four points: its air bases; the production and supply of oil; serving

as ‘a centre for communications’; and serving as a defensive barrier against Soviet

penetration into Africa. Eden believed during the peak of trouble in Bahrain in
68
March 1956 that Britain’s position in the Middle East and policy was to be ‘founded

on the need to protect our oil interests in Iraq and in the Persian Gulf’ as it was

clearly coming under threat and exploitation.
69

This thesis explores the background, development, and fall of the nationalist

party and seeks to answer a number of questions: what was British policy like

throughout the different stages of the Movement? During the crisis was Belgrave an

instrument for the British or did his actions harm Britain? How were relations

between the nationalist movement and the British in Bahrain? Was the Movement

inspired or driven by Nasser’s Egypt?

To answer these questions, this thesis is accordingly divided into four parts

in chronological order of events. Each part consists of two chapters with the

exception of the first part which consists of three. The thesis is designed such that

the events that took place in Bahrain are discussed in parallel to macro-events that

occurred during the same time period as it influenced developments in Bahrain.

These global events included the rise of Nasser in Egypt, the formation of the

Baghdad Pact and its repercussions, the Egyptian-Soviet arms deal, Egypt’s move

67 BDEEP, Series B, Part I, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’, 1945-1949. Doc. 11, CAB
66/67, CP (45)55, ‘Imperial security in the Middle East’: War Cabinet memorandum by Sir E Grigg, 2
July 1945.
68 BDEEP, Series B, Part I, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’, 1945-1949. Doc. 142:
DEFE 4/23, COS 102(49)4, annex, ‘Middle East strategy and defence policy’: report by the JPS to the
COS, 11 July 1949 (JP(49)59). Appendix “A”, 15 July 1949.
th
69 TNA, CAB 128/30 C.M. (56) 19 conclusions, 6 March 1956.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 18