Systemic Transformations in Jordan in 1951-1957 - Unsuccessful Democracy
- Institution: University of Rzeszow
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4436-8221
- Year of publication: 2020
- Source: Show
- Pages: 511-522
- DOI Address: https://doi.org/10.15804/ppk.2020.06.41
- PDF: ppk/58/ppk5841.pdf
The following text discusses the first attempt to transform the authoritarian Jordan monarchy into a constitutional monarchy, in which the parliament chosen by the people was supposed, apart from the king, to serve the role of a real supervisor of the state. Such an attempt was made in 1951-1957. It ended up in a failure and, in fact, the return of the authoritarian methods of exercising the power. This failure resulted both from the specific circumstances of the contemporary Middle East, as well as certain permanent features of Arabic societies. Thus, it is important to trace back these events to show both the attempt at reforms, as well as the causes of the failure. The following text makes use first and foremost of English language resources concerning the history of Jordan. Also, the archive documents collected in the National Archives were used, especially the ones that refer to the correspondence between the authorities in London and the British embassy in Amman. To understand the issue, it will be necessary to go back beyond the year 1951 and to present in brief the very process of how the Hashemite monarchy came into existence.