-Caveat Lector-
From
http://www.iraqioasis.com/p2.html
}}}>Begin
Modern
History.
European nations had traded with
Mesopotamia for centuries ,but frequent western contacts
did not occur until the early 1800s.The two main powers
that became interested in Mesopotamia were Germany and Britain.
Each country was trying to counterbalance the
other's colonial influence in the region. European
innovations soon began to appear in Mesopotamia .Britain
sent steamboats up the rivers in 1836,and the Germans
laid telegraph lines in 1861.The Germans also proposed a
railway to connect the Ottoman city of Konya to Baghdad
and later to link Baghdad to Basra. The British wanted to prevent
German expansion in areas that would limit their
own colonial trade. As a result ,the British made
alliances with other European powers and with local
leaders to curb Germany's influences. In addition, Britain
had become aware of the untapped oil wealth of the Middle
East and sought to gain valuable oil rights throughout
the region.
World war I broke out in 1914 ,just when the Arab
independence movements were gaining momentum. The global
conflict pitted Germany, Austria and the Ottoman Empire
against Britain and France. Arab leaders in many parts of
the Arab world -including the Hashemite family of Hussein
ibn Ali-promised to aid Britain by revolting against the
Ottoman Turks. Arab cooperation came about when Britain
agreed to recognize Arab independence after the war. British troops
occupied Basra in 1915,and they had
control of Baghdad by 1917 .A year later ,the British
forces headed north ,taking Mosul in Oct 1918.By the end
of the war ,the British held all of Mesopotamia. At the postwar
peace conferences, Arab leaders expected to work
out the details of Arab independence. But in 1920 the
international League on Nations assigned pieces of the
Ottoman Empire to the victors, putting Mesopotamia under a
British administration. This arrangement ,called a mandate, meant
that Britain would establish responsible
Arab government in the territory according to a
league-approved timetable. The failure of the British to
fulfill their promises of independence encouraged Arab
nationalism .Anti -British secret societies formed in
Mesopotamia and riots broke out in 1920.Because of the
unrest ,Britain chose to limit its commitment to the
mandate territory in 1921.Aided by British advisers, the
Arabs established a constitutional monarchy ,called the
Kingdom of Iraq. The British asked prince Faisal to be Iraq's first
king and nationwide vote confirmed the choice. It was clear ,however,
that King Faisal I -who was
not a native Iraqi-owed his throne to the British. Although more
self-governing ,Iraq was still a
British mandate .In 1922 Britain signed a treaty with
Iraq that promised complete independence to the new
kingdom within 10 years .The arrangement displeased some
of Iraq's ethnic and religious groups-notably the Kurds
of the north and the Shiite Arabs of the south. These
groups were not well represented in the nation's newly
formed assembly. Both factions wanted to separate their
lands from those of Iraq. Because of the resulting
violence and unrest, Britain decided to maintain a
military force in the country.
The 10 years mandate
period brought many improvements to Iraq. The most important change
came with the discovery of huge oil
fields near Kirkuk in 1927.The Iraqis granted oil rights
to the Iraqi Petroleum Company -a British dominated
,multinational firm.
Independence
and World War II, In accordance with the 1922 treaty, Iraq became
independent in 1932,but the nation still had strong ties
to Britain .Within a year of Iraq's independence, King
Faisal I died. His death unleashed
conflicts that had been brewing for several years. The Shiites
still feared the domination of Sunnis, who occupied
most administrative and political posts. The Kurds-who
strongly favored separation from rest of Iraq-asserted
their claim to their own nation ,called Kurdistan. The Assyrian -
Christian in north Iraq-voiced a similar demand
.The Assyrian were also concerned about post independence
actions against them by anti-British factions in the country.
Faisal's son ,Ghazi lacked his father's unifying
prestige and experience. He was unable to balance
conflicting religious and ethnic demands. Amid this instability,
King Ghazi died in an automobile accident in 1939.Faisal's three year
old grandson inherited the
throne as Faisal's II .The young king's cousin, Prince Abd
al-llah, ruled for him as regent. Within
months of Ghazi's death ,World War II (
1939 - 1945 ) broke out. The regent and the prime minister, Nuri al-
Said, favored a pro-British stance
during the global conflict. But widespread anti-British
feelings existed in the nation. Rashid Ali al-Kaylani -
who replaced Nuri as prime minister in a cabinet shuffle
in 1941-shared these sentiments.
Rashid Ali sought close
ties with Nazi Germany to release Iraq from British domination.
When the British asked permission to land some
soldiers in Iraq in April 1941,the Iraqi government did
not fully cooperate. In response, the British sent troops
to Basra, where the clashed with the Iraq army. By the end of May
,the British had the upper hand ,and the prime
minister fled to Egypt. A pro-British government was
assembled and Iraq became a wartime base for British and
U.S forces stationed in the Middle East. ©Copyright
IraqiOasis.com 2001
End<{{{
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