9041729
Description
Flashcards by Karima Ranieri, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Karima Ranieri
almost 7 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Who was Iraq ruled by from the 16th century? | Ottoman Turks |
| What were British and other European countries keen on gaining in Iraq in the 20th century? | Oil |
| What happened to Iraq after the First World War? | Became a British mandate. |
| Which areas in Iraq did Britain control? | In 1918 they had control over Basra, Baghdad and Mosul. |
| Was Britain successful with its administration in Iraq? (Mention October Revolution 1920, Iraqi nationalists, Prince Faisal, borders, and how long the monarchy lasted) | - Iraqi nationalists wanted complete independence. - British faced rebellion by October 1920, sending 100,000 troops to Iraq. - Even though they successfully crushed the uprising, it only aroused more opposition. - Britain knew they could not run the country on their own and successfully invited Faisal to become King of Iraq and head of a new government. - The borders in Iraq were not yet clear at the time. When Britain finalised the borders, they provoked futuristic issues as the state of Iraq included three very distinct groups: Kurds, Sunnis and Shias. - Nevertheless, the new monarchy lasted over 35 years. - Overall, even though many Iraqi's were dissatisfied, British policy in Iraq was a success for Britain as they had a friendly and dependent government headed by a reliable king who would protect British interests. |
| When did the British grant independence to Iraq? | In 1932 |
| Was Iraq fully independent at this point? | No, the British kept control of Iraq's foreign policy and kept two airbases (near Basra and Baghdad). Above all, they controlled the oil through British-owned Iraqi Petroleum Company (47.5% share) |
| When did King Faisal die and who was he succeeded by? | King Faisal died in 1933 and was succeeded by his son Ghazi. |
| How did the army become increasingly involved in Iraqi political life? | Ghazi lacked his father's authority and so from 1936 onwards, the army became increasingly involved in Iraqi political life. |
| Who became prime minister in 1938 and what did he stand for? | Nuri-al Said became prime minister in 1938 and was pro-British and conservative. |
| How long did he have power for in Iraq? | 20 years. |
| How were Iraq's social circumstances under the monarchy? | Iraq saw considerable development, education was improved and illiteracy reduced. But there was widespread discontent and resentment towards foreign control in their country. |
| What did the Iraqi government do in 1952? (Hint: they persuaded British-controlled Iraqi Petroleum Company to...) | Equally share profits from oil. |
| Why did Iraq dislike the west so much? What did this have to do with the monarchy/ruling at the time? | - Western domination and interference in politics and oil. - Britain's role in establishing the state of Israel angered the Arab world. - Their country was a member of the Western-dominated Baghdad Pact. Something many Iraqi nationalists were ashamed of as they wanted to remain neutral like Nasser. |
| What happened in 1958? | The Iraqi army carried out a coup which overthrew the monarchy and established a republic. |
| What did the new government do? | Took Iraq out of the Baghdad Pact and persuaded Britain to withdraw its troops. The Iraqi government also secured more control over oil production. |
| The 1960s witnessed Nasser's call for Arab unity. There was also the formation of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria in 1958. Considering this information, why was the Baath Party so popular in Iraq? | The Baathists, like Nasser, called for unity among the Arabs throughout the Middle East. In Iraq, they were mainly supported because they demanded a strong stand in the face of foreign interference. |
| When did the Baathists seize power? | 1968 |
| Was the Baathist majority Sunni or Shia? Is Iraq predominantly Sunni or Shia? | Most of the Baathists were Sunni Muslims. The Sunnis has been the dominant group in Iraq ever since Iraq was set up in 1921, but the Shiites formed the majority of the population. |
| What did the new government do? (Mention Shiites, money spending, nationalisation of...reducing of....) | - Many Shiites were brought into the new government in a show of unity. - More money was spent on defence and the army. - In 1972, the Baathist government nationalised, and took complete control of the Iraq oil industry. - In 1973, the Iraqis joined other Arab oil-producing states in reducing oil production and sales to Western countries. |
| Why did the Iraqis reduced oil production and sales to Western countries in 1973? | It was done as a punishment to the West for supporting Israel in the Yim Kippur war 1973. |
| How was the reduction of oil sales to the West a benefit for Iraq? | It increased oil prices by 400% and Iraq's income from oil was to rise from $575 million in 1972 to $26,500 million in 1980. |
| What did the Baathists do as the country became richer? | - Improved electricity, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and dams were built. |
| What was the main aim of education? | To protect the young against influence of foreign culture and promote Arab unity and 'love of order'. |
| What was Saddam Hussein's role in the 1970s? | He was the government minister responsible for extending government control over the army and secret police. |
| How was the army kept under control? | - Regular indoctrination - Regularly rotating officers so that none stayed in one position and could build up opposition. - By imprisonment and execution of those suspected of disloyalty. - Repression was extended throughout Iraqi society, there were increasing reports of torture and rape of those held in prison. |
| Who did the Baathists rely on for support? | The rural, Sunni areas to the north of Baghdad even though the majority of the population were Shiites in the south and centre of Iraq. These divisions between Sunnis and Shiites were to become a big problem in the following years. |
| When did Saddam Hussein become president of Iraq? | 1979 |
| Who did Saddam Hussein most admire? | Stalin and his use of terror. |
| What did Saddam do to members of the Baath party and those who opposed his government? | Many had been tried and executed. |
| What did one have to do to receive a death penalty punishment under Hussein? | Those who concealed previous membership of a different political party or those who left the Baath party to join another party, were faced with death penalties. |
| How long did Hussein hold on to power? | Nearly 25 years, regardless of attempts to overthrow him and two major defeats in war. |
| How were the Shiites treated under Hussein? What did he do to them? (Don't get mixed up with the Kurds!) | Under Saddam there were mass expulsions. In 1980-1, 200,000 Shiites were deported to Iran as their 'loyalty was not proven'. Many of them were successful businessmen whose businesses were handed over to the government's supporters. |
| Where were the Kurds situated and why were they opposed by Saddam Hussein? | Kurds were mostly situated in the north, along the border with Syria, Turkey and Iran. There were millions of Kurds inside these neighbouring countries as well as in Iraq itself. Ever since the state of Iraq was created in 1921, the Kurds enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy/self-rule. Many of their leaders were determined to achieve a separate homeland: Kurdistan. There had been almost constant conflict between Iraqi troops and Kurdish nationalist fighters ever since the creation of Iraq. Under Saddam, many of their leaders were executed or driven into exile. |
| How did Iran help the Kurds in the 1970s? | - When Iran and Iraq went to war in 1980, Iran viewed the targeted Kurds as an ally. - They aided the Kurds and, as a result, the Kurds gained greater control of Kurdish northern Iraq. |
| How did Saddam feel about the Kurds at this point of time? | That Iraq was stabbed in the back by their own people. |
| What did Iraqi forces do in 1988 as means of revenge? | Their planes bombarded the Kurdish town of Halabja, in norther Iraq, with chemical weapons. 5000 were killed immediately; 12,000 are estimated to have died later. This was one of the episodes for which Saddam Hussein was later put on trial, found guilty and executed. |
| What was Saddam's solution to the 'Kurdish problem' ? (Mention use of chemical weapons, mass executions, bulldozing of villages, death statistics, percentage of land destroyed, amount of refugees, etc...) | When the war with Iran ended in 1988, Saddam decided to solve the Kurdish problem. He set out to depopulate much of the Kurdish north and destroy Kurdish nationalist movement. His forces used chemical weapons and carried out mass executions as well as bulldozing villages. About 180,000 Kurds were killed and more than 100,000 refugees poured over the border, mostly into Turkey. Several towns and 90% of all villages were destroyed. |
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