Kingdom of Iraq

Origins

Faisal I, son of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and leader of the Arab Revolt, was crowned king of Iraq in August 1921 under the British mandate. The monarchy gained formal independence when Mandatory Iraq ended in 1932.

Rule and society

Iraq was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament dominated by landowners, tribal sheikhs and ex-Ottoman officers, while Britain kept bases and influence. Faisal I died in 1933 and was followed by Ghazi and the boy king Faisal II, under the regent Abd al-Ilah. The period saw the Simele massacre of Assyrians in 1933, the Arab world's first military coup in 1936, and in 1941 Rashid Ali's pro-Axis coup, the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Farhud pogrom against Baghdad's Jews. Oil revenue funded development, and Nuri al-Said dominated politics.

Decline and legacy

In 1955 Iraq joined the Baghdad Pact, and in 1958 it formed the Arab Federation with Jordan. On 14 July 1958 army officers led by Abd al-Karim Qasim overthrew the monarchy; Faisal II and much of the royal family were killed, and the Republic of Iraq was proclaimed.