Page 5 - Begrave Thesis_Neat

Abstract

The period between 1953 and 1957 saw Bahrain at the zenith of the political

struggle between Sir Charles Belgrave, the British Adviser to the Government of

Bahrain appointed by the Ruler, and the local nationalist movement. The Adviser

had exercised considerable influence and had managed various facets of

government administration since his arrival in 1926. The Movement sought to limit

Belgrave’s authority through a set of demands for reform. These demands were to

develop into a call for his dismissal. The Movement arose during the time that

nationalism regionally (and in particular its Egyptian brand) was on the rise in the

Arab World. This era was also marked by an awakening of the Soviet Union’s

interest in the Middle East and its resources as it established a foothold in the region

through Egypt. The conflict in Bahrain represented a model of the global events of

the Cold War as it threatened the cohesiveness of the Baghdad Pact and was among

a series of events that fed into Britain’s road to the 1956 Suez War.

This thesis offers insight into the political struggle as it traces the

development of the nationalist movement; the major drives that steered it,

particularly that of nationalism in Egypt; the role of the Adviser and whether his

actions facilitated British policy or affected it negatively. It also explores British

policy which sought to strike a balance between the Ruler, who wished to retain his

Adviser, and the nationalists while preserving British interest in the region.

© Hamad E. Abdulla i