The rise and fall of Bahrain's merchants in the pre-oil era

Abstract

This study is concerned with the how Bahrain's merchants shaped the island's political history in the pre-oil era. It argues that the interdependent relationship between the merchants and the ruling family was interrupted by a severe structural crisis in the 1920s, which invited Britain to heavily intervene in Bahrain in order to centralize the state and empower the Sheikh's administration. The study concludes by raising questions about the integration of various merchant groupings into the new rentier economy during the difficult years of the Great Depression and the changing power dynamics since this critical juncture.