​Although political developments in Kuwait in the 1930s that led to the birth of the first Legislative Council have been closely examined in the literature, scholarship on the council is more descriptive than analytical and largely limited to the economic dimensions of the struggle between sheikhs and merchants. Specifically, the literature neglects the contribution of what I refer to here as the "balancing powers" in the establishment of the councils in 1938 and 1939. Thus, in addition to highlighting the important role of the two major forces in Kuwait at the time — the merchants and the al-Sabah family — this paper sheds light on the role of the other social forces in the establishment and dissolution of Kuwait's 1938 and 1939 Legislative Councils. To this end, this paper publishes selections from the 1938 council minutes for the first time.