Iraqi coup d'état
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| Iraqi coup d'état | |
|---|---|
| Title | Iraqi coup d'état |
| Date | 1958–1968 |
| Place | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Result | Regime changes; shifts in domestic alignments and foreign alignments |
Iraqi coup d'état
The term refers to a series of violent power seizures in Iraq between 1958 and 1968 that transformed the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq, the Iraqi Republic, and later the Ba'ath Party state. These events reshaped relationships with United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, Egypt, and regional actors such as Iran and Turkey, while elevating figures from Abd al-Karim Qasim to Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein.
Background
In the 1950s Iraq was ruled by the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq under King Faisal II and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said, aligned with the Baghdad Pact and influenced by British Iraq mission ties and Anglo-Iraqi Treaty arrangements. The regional context included the Suez Crisis, the rise of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, the growth of Arab nationalism, and pressure from socialist and military currents influenced by the Free Officers Movement and communist organizations such as the Iraqi Communist Party. Iraqi armed forces officers, including members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Air Force, were organized in circles that intersected with political groups like the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and independent coup planners.
1958 Coup (Ramadan Revolution)
On 14 July 1958 a group of Iraqi officers led by Abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif executed a coup against King Faisal II and Nuri al-Said, deposing the Hashemite monarchy and proclaiming the Iraqi Republic. The July events, often called the Ramadan Revolution, involved units from the 1st Division (Iraqi Army) and cadres influenced by Free Officers Movement (Iraq), resulting in the assassination of the royal family and a pivot away from the Baghdad Pact. Qasim sought alliances with the Iraqi Communist Party and negotiated a complex relationship with Soviet Union and United Kingdom interests, provoking reactions from neighboring capitals including Tehran and Ankara.
1963 Coup (Ba'athist Coup)
On 8 February 1963 a coup led by elements of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party alongside military officers such as Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein (then an emerging Ba'athist operative) overthrew Abd al-Karim Qasim. The February coup, sometimes identified with counterrevolutionary purges and mass killings, saw clashes involving the Iraqi Communist Party and reshaped Iraq’s internal security apparatus, including the Iraqi Intelligence Service and National Guard (Iraq). International reactions included calibrated responses from the Soviet Union, United States Department of State, and regional capitals like Cairo under Gamal Abdel Nasser.
1968 Coup (July Revolution)
On 17 July 1968 a successful July Revolution returned the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party to power in a bloodless coup orchestrated by military officers and Ba'athist politicians led by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and with the rising influence of Saddam Hussein. The 1968 coup consolidated control over the Republic of Iraq through institutions such as the Revolutionary Command Council and reconfigured relationships with the Soviet Union, United States, and Kuwait. Subsequent purges and appointments impacted ministries including the Ministry of Defence (Iraq), the Ministry of Interior (Iraq), and state organs linked to oil policy at Iraq National Oil Company and the Ministry of Oil (Iraq).
Causes and Motivations
Motivations for the coups combined personal ambition of officers like Abd al-Karim Qasim, ideological currents from the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and the Iraqi Communist Party, and regional pressures tied to Arab nationalism under Gamal Abdel Nasser. Structural factors included dissatisfaction with the Hashemite monarchy's alignment with United Kingdom interests, land reform disputes involving elites in Mosul and Basra, labor agitation represented by unions linked to Iraqi Communist Party, and strategic concerns about the Baghdad Pact and access to Persian Gulf oil. Foreign intelligence and diplomatic missions—such as those operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency and British intelligence—figured in orientation debates, while military institutions like the Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army provided the means for coups.
Domestic and International Consequences
Domestically, the succession of coups ended the Hashemite role, redistributed power among Ba'athists, nationalists, and communists, and led to cycles of repression, purges, and state-building initiatives affecting institutions including the Iraqi Security Forces and nationalized sectors like the Iraq National Oil Company. The political turbulence influenced Kurdish relations with leaders such as Mulla Mustafa Barzani and contributed to insurgencies in the Kurdistan Region. Internationally, the coups altered Iraq’s alignment between Soviet Union patronage and Western engagement, influenced regional rivalries involving Iran under the Pahlavi dynasty, and affected inter-Arab diplomacy with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The transformations set the stage for later events involving Iran–Iraq relations, the Yom Kippur War diplomatic environment, and the consolidation of Ba'athist rule culminating in leadership centralization under Saddam Hussein.