THE GREAT REVOLT

1. THE GREAT REVOLT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTIONS HISTORY

2. 1930s: A CRITICAL PERIOD • DRAMATIC GROWTH OF THE YISHUV • THE GREAT REVOLT BY THE ARAB POPULATION TO END BRITISH RULE • CONSOLIDATION OF LEADERSHIP ON BOTH SIDES • ARAB DEFEAT AND JEWISH VICTORY SET THE STAGE FOR 1948

3. One standard argument • COMPARES JEWISH AGENCY WITH THE ARAB HIGHER COMMITTEE • BOTH PLAYED KEY INSTITUTIONAL ROLES • SEEKS TO EXPLAIN THE YISHUV’S GREATER EFFECTIVENESS • COMPARES SOCIO-ECONOMIC, DEMOGRAPHIC AND IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES

4. KEY POINTS • YISHUV’S LEADERSHIP WAS “MODERN”: • IDEOLOGICAL, HIGHLY COORDINATED • URBAN AND REPRESENTATIVE • ACHIEVEMENT • ARAB LEADERSHIP WAS “TRADITIONAL”: • FAMILIAL AND PERSONAL • URBAN BUT UNREPRESENTATIVE • ASCRIPTIVE

5. BUT… • AL-HUSSEINI HAS NO JEWISH OPPOSITE NUMBER (I.E., BEN-GURION) • JAE WAS NOT AS CRUCIAL AS THE HISTADRUT • AL-HUSSEINI’S POLITICAL CAREER BEGINS IN 1921-2 NOT 1936 • AHC AND JAE WRONG COMPARISONS

6. AND • PALESTINIAN ARAB SOCIETY WAS A SOCIETY • IGNORES CONFLICT FOR POWER INSIDE EACH COMMUNITY • THE YISHUV WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL PROJECT • THE YISHUV DID HAVE MORE EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS TO PREPARE FOR A CONFLICT OVER STATE-BUILIDNG

7. SUPREME MUSLIM COUNCIL • WE KNOW LITTLE OF ITS ACTIVITIES • WITH THE DISINTEGRATION OF SECULAR NATIONALISM, IT ASSUMED A LARGER ROLE • HAD A SECURE FINANCIAL BASE • PROPOSED PALESTINE AS AN ISLAMIC ISSUE • USED FUNDS AND SHARIA COURTS TO BLOCK LAND PURCHASES

8. NATIONALIST ARAB PARTIESCOMPETING WITH HAJJ AMIN • ISTIQLAL (INDEPENDENCE) PARTY • COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE • CLOSER TIES TO ARAB STATES • NATIONAL DEFENSE PARTY • ORGANIZED AROUND NASHASHIBIs • ARGUED FOR MODERATION AND COOPERATION WITH THE BRITISH

9. AND A PRO-HUSSEINI PARTY • PALESTINE ARAB PARTY • FOUNDED IN MARCH 1935 • SOUGHT TO CREATE A WIDER BASE FOR HAJJ AMIN • CALLED FOR INDEPENDENCE AND ABOLITION OF THE MANDATE

10. Shaykh Izz al-Din Al-Qassam

11. AND RELIGIOUS COMPETITION • SHAYKH IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM • FORMED THE YOUNG MEN’S MUSLIM ASSOCIATION • PALESTINIANS KNEW OF SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS IN EGYPT (MUSLIM BROTHERS) • PREACHED DIRECT, ARMED ACTION AGAINST THE YISHUV AND THE MANDATORY AUTHORITIES.

12. Rhythms of violence • TWO QUESTIONS: • WHAT CAUSES VIOLENCE? • WHAT IS THE POLITICAL CONTEXT OF VIOLENCE? • POLITICAL LEADERS CAN PROVOKE, INSTENSIFY, OR RESTRICT VIOLENCE • THEY CAN ALSO CHOOSE HOW TO PORTRAY IT

13. WHAT ABOUT 1929? • PROXIMATE CAUSE WAS CONFLICT OVER PRAYING AT THE WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM • JOCKEYING FOR INFLUENCE AND POLITICAL FREEDOM TO ACT • AND RESTRICT THE OTHER SIDE • AND TO EXTEND ONE’S OWN INFLUENCE IN ONE’S OWN SIDE

14. RESULTS OF 1929 CONFLICT • INCREASED ESTRANGEMENT OF YISHUV AND ARAB SOCIETIES • DESTRUCTION OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN HEBRON AND SAFAD • REINFORCEMENT OF “SELF-RELIANCE” IN THE YISHUV • SENSE OF DESPERATION IN ARAB SOCIETY

15. BRITISH POLITICAL RESPONSES • SIR WALTER SHAW HEADS A COMMISSION THAT REPORTS IN MARCH 1930 • SIR JOHN HOPE-SIMPSON UNDERTAKES A MISSION AND REPORTS IN OCTOBER 1930 THAT JEWISH IMMIGRATION CAUSES VIOLENCE

16. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ISSUES THE PASSFIELD WHITE PAPER IN OCTOBER 1930 CALLING FOR AN END TO JEWISH IMMIGRATION • PM RAMSAY MACDONALD REVERSES THE WHITE PAPER IN FEBRUARY 1931

18. EARLY 1930s • DRAMATIC INCREASE IN JEWISH IMMIGRATION • ECONOMIC DOWNTURN • INTENSIFIED BY DROUGHT • WIDESPREAD POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO IMPERIAL CONTROL IN SYRIA AND EGYPT

19. THE DEATH OF ‘IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM • THE “CEMENT BARREL” INCIDENT • AL-QASSAM’S DECISION TO LAUNCH ARMED STRUGGLE IN NOVEMBER 1935 • HIS DEATH IN LATE NOVEMBER • “THE ARAB TEL HAI”?

20. 1936 THAWRA • APRIL 15, 1936 MURDER AND REPRISAL • APRIL 17 RUMORS AND RIOTS • APRIL 19 THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FORMED • APRIL 21 THE GREAT REVOLT BEGINS • APRIL 25 ARAB HIGHER COMMITTEE FORMED

21. DEMANDS • END TO JEWISH IMMIGRATION • END TO THE MANDATE • FULL INDEPENDENCE • MAJORITY RULE

22. INTERNAL CONFLICTS • GENERATIONAL CONFLICT: SHABAB v. ESTABLISHED LEADERS • CLASS CONFLICT: THE POOR AGAINST THE WEALTHY (AYAN) • SOCIOLOGICAL CONFLICT: THE RURAL (FELLAHIN) AGAINST THE URBAN (EFFENDIYAH)

23. Effendis Peasants

24. GAINING CONTROL • HAJJ AMIN WORKED TO GAIN CONTROL OVER THE REVOLT WHILE NOT OVERLY ANTAGONIZING THE BRITISH • BRITISH BRING IN TROOP REINFORCEMENTS • HAGANA SHIFTS FROM PASSIVE TO AGGRESSIVE DEFENSE

25. THE FIRST PROPOSAL FOR PARTITION • LORD WILLIAM ROBERT PEEL LEADS AN INVESTIGATION • THE PEEL REPORT IS PUBLISHED JULY 7, 1937 • PROPOSAL TO PARTITION PALESTINE • INCLUDES “TRANSFER” • UNACCEPTABLE TO ARAB MAJORITY

27. RENEWAL OF THE REVOLT • SECOND PHASE BEGINS IN THE SUMMER OF 1937 • LEADERSHIP IS UNCLEAR • ATTACKS AGAINST BRITISH, YISHUV, AND INTERNECINE CONFLICT • SCALE OF REVOLT GROWS • SCALE OF REPRESSION GROWS

28. REPRESSION OF THE THAWRA • LOSS OF LOCAL LEADERSHIP INCLUDING EXILE OF HAJJ AMIN • INCREASE IN COERCIVE CAPACITY OF THE YISHUV (IRGUN BET+HAGANAH+PALMACH) • DEGRADATION OF ARAB CAPACITY TO RESIST • GROWING SENSE OF INTERCOMMUNAL WAR

29. ANOTHER PARTITION PROPOSAL • SIR JOHN WOODHEAD ARRIVES IN APRIL 1938 FOR A NEW COMMISSION OF INQUIRY • ISSUES A REPORT PROPOSING A NEW PARTITION SCHEME • ACCOMPANIED BY A WHITE PAPER DISMISSING IT