Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah (1895-1965) ruled Kuwait for 15 years (1950-1965), a period of spectacular development and change, both human and material. His crowning achievement came when Kuwait attained independence from Great Britain in 1961.

Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah succeeded his cousin Shaykh Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah as the Amir of Kuwait on February 25, 1950. Long before his accession to the throne, Shaykh 'Abdullah had been supportive of the political reform movement that emerged during the period between world wars; in fact, he was an early favorite of the reformers. Before the advent of the oil boom, leading merchant notables constituted the primary source of the Arab shaykhdom's prosperity, contributing the largest share of the government's revenues. In 1921 these notables had successfully challenged the autocratic rule of the Sabah family, demanding the establishment of a consultative council (al-Majlis al-Istishari) and participation on the issue of succession.

As a result, a council was...