The economic crisis in the Gulf Region and its consequences for the society of the Trucial States 1924-1962

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to shed light on the effects of the economic crisis that swept the Gulf region during the thirties and forties of the twentieth century, which resulted from the emergence of cultured pearls as an alternative to natural pearls, and the extent of their impact on the economy of the Trucial States.  Method:  The study relied on the study and analysis of the causes of the crisis and its beginnings, when the spread of cultured pearls began in the coastal emirates, according to what was stated in the letters and reports of British officials in 1924, and the impact of that pearl on its economy, to end the study in 1962, the year in which the first oil shipment was exported from Abu Dhabi, to end the effects of the crisis, as the coastal emirates began since that time a new era of oil. Results: The study focused on highlighting the economic crisis that swept the Gulf region, including the Trucial States. in the thirties and forties of the twentieth century, being a crisis specific to the Gulf region only, because it was associated with the emergence of cultured pearls, and was not a direct outcome or linked, except limitedly, to the global economic crisis that occurred in 1929, and that the two decades length crisis, which lasted for more than two decades, was due to Britain’s involving the region in the war procedures in which it participated.  Conclusion: It became clear through the events discussed in the study, that the British government dominating the region, had a role in deepening that crisis and its continuation for more than two decades, because of its actions before and during World War II, and the study showed the role of India after its independence in 1947, in sustaining the suffering of the Gulf region, by taking strict measures against the entry of pearls to India, and exporting grain to the Gulf.