The Struggle for Independence 1939 1947

Written by a former deputy prime minister of Jordan and one-time general in the Arab Legion, this book examines the history of this country between the years 1939 and 1947, a vital period in the development of the Amirate of Transjordan. Setting the scene with discussions of the political, economic and social conditions and the country's relations with neighbouring states, Maan Abu Nowar focuses primarily on the impact of the Second World War and recounts those Anglo-Jordanian relations which led to the termination of the British mandate in 1946 and the founding of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Drawing heavily on archival material and the author's extensive interviews with Jordanian personalities of this era, dominant themes also include: the development of the Arab Legion from a small police force into a self-contained military unit, and its participation in the military campaigns in Iraq and Syria during 1941; Amir Abdullah's attempts to achieve Arab unity within the framework of Greater Syria; and Jordan's position regarding the establishment of the League of Arab States, the Palestine question, and the partition plan for Palestine of 1947.