The Development of Trans-Jordan 1929-1939: A History of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan [Hardcover]

Man Abu Nuwar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2006

Very little has been written about the history of Trans-Jordan between 1929-39, a decade of importance in the history of its struggle for independence and sovereignty, its progress and development, its relations with Palestine and the neighbouring Arab countries and the new awakening of Arab nationalism. During the 1930s, although still under the mandate of the League of Nations (which was entrusted to Great Britain) Trans-Jordan began to develop an international presence. The people of Trans-Jordan remained very poor however, and the government was supported by a grant-in-aid from the British Government. The British Resident in Amman Col. Henry Cox used that grant-in-aid as a justification for his financial and political control over the new mandated state, which limited its sovereignty. At the time, Great Britain had the largest empire on earth. Her wealth and power, as well as the survival of her Empire, depended mainly on her ability to defend her trade routes with her overseas colonies, protectorates and mandated territories. The Amir Abdullah Ibn al Husain wanted to take Trans-Jordan back from that Great Britain of the 1930s and develop it into an independent state. This book describes the second decade of that struggle.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Maan Abu Nowar joined the Arab Legion in 1943 and retired as Major General in 1972. He was then appointed Minister of Information in the Jordanian government. A year later, in 1973, he became Jordan's ambassador to the United Kingdom (1973-6), thereafter rising steadily in government service to reach the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan in 1993. In 1988 Abu Nowar was admitted to the degree of D.Phil. at the University of Oxford. His publications include The Jordanian-Israeli War 1948-1951: A History of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and The Struggle for Independence 1939-1947: A History of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Ithaca Press).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Ithaca (July 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863723039
• ISBN-13: 978-0863723032
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,121,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Development of Trans-Jordan, 1929-1939, August 8, 2008

By 

Michael Rubin "Middle East Quarterly" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Development of Trans-Jordan 1929-1939: A History of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Hardcover)

Because the archives of many Arab countries are either sealed or highly restricted, writings by Arab government officials are often of value. Not so, however, this study of Jordan's early development.

Abu Nowar began his career in the Arab Legion, rose to become a major-general, and then served as the Hashemite Kingdom's ambassador to London and briefly as its deputy prime minister. His flawed earlier works focused on the Jordanian role in Israel's war of independence and Jordan's own efforts to free itself from British tutelage.[1] His latest work is based on an Oxford University doctoral thesis and argues that Trans-Jordan was a distinct geographic entity (rather than an arbitrary creation of European diplomats) and that "Zionist and pro-Zionist British officials keenly endeavoured to remove him [King Abdullah I] from the country and annex it to Palestine."

The latter assertion reflects poorly not only on Abu Nowar's scholarship, but also on that of his Oxford tutors. Throughout his book, "Zionist and pro-Zionist British officials" are employed as useful straw men or foils against whom Abu Nowar can demonstrate Abdullah's independence and acumen. The problem is that Abu Nowar seldom names these bogeymen, and when he does, his labeling is inaccurate: Harry St. John Philby, for example, was a committed Arabist who subsequently became an advisor to the founder of Saudi Arabia. The founders of the State of Israel would be shocked to learn that he stood in their camp.

Nor would the masters whom Abu Nowar once served necessarily agree with his revisionism: Jordanian leaders tended to take a far more pragmatic approach to Zionism, especially given the challenges they faced from within the Arab world. His treatment of the 1936-39 Arab Revolt makes little attempt at academic objectivity: He neither mentions Arab massacres of Jews nor the incitement campaign of Muhammad Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, whose strategy included outreach to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

The Development of Trans-Jordan disappoints in other ways. Analysis of Arab Legion activity is drawn exclusively from British documents rather than Jordanian sources. Discussion of political meetings within Jordanian society is slightly more useful, as Abu Nowar incorporates contemporaneous Arabic newspaper accounts not readily available elsewhere.

Overall, Abu Nowar's doctoral dissertation adds little to an understanding of Jordan's birth pangs and consolidation as a political entity--but it does demonstrate how far scholarship at Oxford University has declined.

Michael Rubin

Middle East Quarterly

Summer 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent study, March 16, 2007

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Development of Trans-Jordan 1929-1939: A History of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Hardcover)

This excellent and thorough study shows a great understanding for the country and the use of many statistics and facts to give a fair and interesting examination of the development of Jordan in its formative period. Every aspect of the country is explained from the governments security policies in dealing with bedouin raiders to land policy, agriculture, economy and the military.

Seth J. Frantzman