Hussein of Mecca had once been seen by the British as their most valuable friend in the

Near East. That was in 1916. But the Arab revolt Hussein had produced had not been as large

or as helpful as the British had hoped.

And after the war, Hussein was unwilling to accept the British plan for the post-war near East,

which was why when Hussein's own rule was threatened, the British stood aside.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century. ...of the 20th century.

... Episode 193, 1919, the Near East, Part 3.

This is the 18th episode in our 1919 world tour, for those of you who are still counting.

When we left off two weeks ago, I had just finished telling you the stories of how France and Britain took control of their

respective League of Nations mandates in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine.

I want to begin today's episode by turning to Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca, the Emir of

Hajjahs. As you know from our previous episodes, the British induced Hussein to revolt

against the Ottoman Empire in 1916, in exchange for which they promised to make him king of an

independent Arab state after the war was won. We don't talk about cash subsidies much when we talk about history and international relations,

but I'll note that once Hussein declared his revolt, the United Kingdom began paying him

200,000 pounds per month for the rest of the war.

These funds were intended to defray the costs of

administering the hijazz and supplying soldiers to fight the Turks. After the armistice of

Mudros ended the fighting in the Near East, the British reduced the subsidy to 100,000 pounds per

month. The British government also reduced the subsidy to 100,000 pounds per month. The British government also recognized

Hussein as the now king of the now kingdom of Hajas. But there was discontent on both sides.

Hussein felt the British had promised a larger kingdom than they were now willing to grant.

...