ABSTRACT
The assassination of King Abdullah I had significant implications for the stability of the Hashemite Kingdom and its development as a nation. Domestic politics throughout the 1950s would be characterised by immense change, upheaval and eventually severe restrictions imposed on all aspects of political life by the country’s new monarch Hussein. The chaotic and unpredictable circumstances of Abdullah I’s death, the near assassination of his grandson Hussein beside him and the instability within royal circles following a short-lived stab at rule by Hussein’s father Talal contributed to a severe crisis of confidence both inside and outside the kingdom over the ability of the Hashemites to rule and retain their legitimacy. Indeed, Abdullah I’s assassination could not have come at a worse time. Under British tutelage Abdullah I had concentrated political power into his own hands and the fragile kingdom had been shaken by war with Israel, while the influx of a sizeable refugee population and a regional environment predicated revolutionary change. The only significant political event to occur under the short-lived rule of King Talal was the establishment of a new constitution for the country in 1952. The constitution was an important guideline to the state and system of government at a time when the very foundations of the Jordanian state had been shaken by Abdullah I’s death.
