Labor, nationalism and imperialism in eastern Arabia: Britain, the Shaikhs and the Gulf oil workers in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, 1932-1956.

Abstract

This dissertation examines the lack of a noticeable indigenous labor movement in the contemporary Gulf Arab countries of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar; it focuses on the emergence, after the discovery of oil, of an industrial Gulf labor force, and on the evolution of the British policy towards oil and Gulf oil workers from 1932 until 1956. The period examined in this dissertation begins with the discovery of oil in Bahrain in 1932; this was the first such discovery on the Arab side of the Gulf, and ends with the Suez Crisis of 1956. The latter is a watershed event in Gulf history. This dissertation argues that the Suez Crisis was in large part responsible for the long-term defeat of the indigenous labor movement in the Gulf. In this dissertation attention is given to the parts played by the British Government of India, the Foreign Office, the local Shaikhs, the Gulf nationalists, and by the workers themselves. During the period a remarkable transformation in British policy took place with a noticeable shift in the methods and purpose of the British attitude towards oil and workers. These policies towards workers passed through two different periods. In the first, 1932-1945, the Government of India had no direct interest in the Gulf labor situation; in the second, 1946-1956, the Foreign Office took increased interest in the welfare of local oil workers. This growing interest was a direct result of the increasing importance of oil to the reconstruction of the British economy after the war. The Foreign Office thus began to form a long range policy to stabilize the labor situation in the Gulf region. Finally, this dissertation asks how far the British were willing to go in order to secure their interest in the oil industry? This dissertation shows that the British initially were willing to support a liberal labor law conceding to workers the right to form independent trade unions. This was the case in Bahrain during the 1950's when the nationalist movement became a major force. Unfortunately, the Suez Crisis convinced the British to withdraw their support for the workers, and as a result, the Shaikhs were able to erase the labor movement's previous gains.