Iraq

What is Iraq?

Iraq is a country in the Gulf that was once known as Mesopotamia. Before the First World War it was part of the Ottoman Empire.

What is the history of Iraq?

There were 4 important moments in Iraq's history.

• ❖ Iraq was formed after the First World War out of land taken from the defeated Ottoman Empire.
• ❖ At first it was ruled by the British and the Hashemite monarchy, which Britain supported.
• ❖ In 1932, it became an independent country.
• ❖ In the 1950s and 1960s, a series of coups between generals and politicians ultimately put the Ba'ath Party in charge.
• ❖ After 1979, Ba'ath member Saddam Hussein gained total power over the government and became the dictator of Iraq.

What role did the British play in Iraq?

The British played 5 important roles in Iraq.

• ❖ After the First World War, Britain was given the territory of Iraq to oversee after it was taken from the Ottoman Empire.
• ❖ After the Treaty of Sevres, the British needed 100,000 troops in Iraq to stop a rebellion against British rule.
• ❖ The British supported the Hashemite monarchy and kept them in power in Iraq.
• ❖ They supported the Hashemite monarchy and kept them in power in Iraq.
• ❖ The British-owned Iraqi Petroleum Company owned, drilled and sold all of Iraq's oil until 1952.
• ❖ In 1932, Iraq was officially declared an independent country.
• ❖ After 1952, the profits from the Iraqi Petroleum Company were shared equally between the Iraqi government and the British-controlled company, but the company still controlled production and prices.

What were the effects of British involvement in Iraq?

Britain ran Iraq for 12 years and the monarchy it established ruled for 35 years, during which time Iraq changed in a number of ways.

• ❖ Education and literacy were improved.
• ❖ The economy developed and became more industrialised.
• ❖ However, there was inequality between the small number of wealthy landowners, and vast numbers of poor peasants.
• ❖ The people of Iraq resented the British role in setting up the state of Israel in 1948.
• ❖ Britain held an interest in much of Iraq's industry, such as the Iraq Petroleum Company.

What happened in Iraq the 1950s and 1960s?

During the 1950s and 1960s, there were a number of coups in Iraq and power changed hands several times.

• ❖ In July 1958, General Abdul Karim Qasim overthrew the Hashemite monarchy.
• ❖ In February 1963, Qasim was assassinated and the Ba'ath Party took charge.
• ❖ In November 1963, in-fighting in the Ba'ath Party meant President Abdul Salam Arif was able to push them from power.
• ❖ In July 1968, the Ba'ath Party overthrew Arif and regained control of Iraq.
• ❖ The Ba'ath Party set up the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) to make decisions about the way that Iraq should be run.

Why was Iraq such a divided country?

There were 4 reasons for the divisions in Iraq.

• ❖ Iraq suffered many problems because of religious, national, and socio-economic divisions in its society.
• ❖ Some of the Muslims in Iraq, particularly those in the ruling classes, were Sunni Muslims. However, many of the ordinary people were Shia, or Shiite, Muslims.
• ❖ There were a number of different national and ethnic groups living in the country, including Kurds in the north who formed about 20% of the population.
• ❖ Although some Iraqis were very rich, the vast majority were poor peasants with a low standard of living.