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| Republic of Iraq (1958–2003) | |
|---|---|
| Conventional long name | Republic of Iraq |
| Common name | Iraq |
| Era | Cold War |
| Government type | Presidential republic (varied) |
| Year start | 1958 |
| Year end | 2003 |
| Event start | 14 July Revolution |
| Date start | 1958-07-14 |
| Event end | 2003 invasion of Iraq |
| Date end | 2003-03-20 |
| Capital | Baghdad |
| Largest city | Baghdad |
| Official languages | Arabic |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar |
Republic of Iraq (1958–2003) The Republic of Iraq (1958–2003) was the sovereign Iraqi state formed after the 14 July Revolution that overthrew the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and culminated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Its history spans the administrations of figures such as Abd al-Karim Qasim, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and Saddam Hussein, encompassing episodes tied to the Ba'ath Party, Cold War rivalries, and regional conflicts including the Yom Kippur War and the Gulf War.
The 14 July 1958 coup led by abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif toppled the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and abolished the Hashemite Monarchy, replacing the monarchy led by King Faisal II and regent Prince 'Abd al-Ilah with a republic influenced by pan-Arabist and nationalist currents linked to actors such as the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and movements in Egypt associated with Gamal Abdel Nasser. Early power struggles involved factions connected to Iraqi Communist Party cadres, republican officers, and tribal leaders from Kurdistan Region figures including Mullah Mustafa Barzani.
Iraq's post-1958 governance evolved from Qasim's republicanism to Ba'athist one-party rule under Ba'ath Party (Iraq) leaders, notably Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein, and institutions such as the Revolutionary Command Council and presidential apparatuses modeled in tension with actors like the Iraqi Ba'ath Party Regional Command and security organs including the Iraqi Intelligence Service and Special Republican Guard. The political landscape featured interactions with rival movements such as the Iraqi Communist Party, Kurdish parties including the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party, and legal instruments like emergency decrees and military tribunals rooted in state responses to coup attempts and assassination attempts involving regional players like Syria and Iran.
Oil nationalization and fiscal policy underpinned the state's revenues after measures affecting entities like the Iraq Petroleum Company and agreements tied to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Development projects involved the Iraqi dinar era investments in infrastructure such as dam projects associated with Saddam Hussein patronage, and programs affecting education linked to ministries influenced by personalities from Baghdad University and public health campaigns in coordination with organizations like the World Health Organization. Economic strains were exacerbated by military spending during conflicts with Iran and sanctions regimes enforced by United Nations Security Council resolutions following the Gulf War.
The state deployed security forces including the Iraqi Army, Republican Guard, and intelligence networks against uprisings and opponents such as Kurdish insurgencies led by Mullah Mustafa Barzani and Jalal Talabani, Shia protest movements associated with clerics like Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and families in Najaf and Karbala, and internal Ba'athist purges exemplified by the 1979 Ba'athist consolidation and notorious incidents such as the Anfal campaign. Human rights abuses implicated prisons, disappearances, and campaigns that drew international attention from entities including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Iraq's foreign policy shifted between alignment with Soviet Union arms transfers and periods of rapprochement with Western states such as United States and France depending on strategic needs, exemplified by arms deals and diplomatic ties that affected the Yom Kippur War logistics and responses to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The eight-year Iran–Iraq War was a defining conflict involving leaders Saddam Hussein and Ruhollah Khomeini's Iran, while the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait precipitated the Gulf War coalition led by Operation Desert Storm under commanders like Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and international bodies including the United Nations. Post-1991 dynamics involved no-fly zones enforced by United Kingdom and United States aircraft, and sanctions regimes implemented under successive UN Security Council resolutions.
Iraq's diverse population included Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, and smaller communities such as Mandaeans, Christians connected to dioceses in Mosul and Baghdad, and Jewish exiles after migrations involving Baghdad's Jewish community, with social institutions like Al-Mustansiriya University and cultural centers in Baghdad and Basra hosting figures in literature and arts influenced by poets and intellectuals who engaged with pan-Arabist debates following the 1958 Revolution. Urbanization patterns affected cities such as Basra, Mosul, and Kirkuk, while demographic shifts were shaped by internal displacement during conflicts like the Anfal campaign and international emigration to countries including United Kingdom and United States.
The 2003 multinational invasion led by United States and United Kingdom forces, justified in part by claims about Weapons of Mass Destruction and linked to intelligence assessments from agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and political decisions by leaders like George W. Bush and Tony Blair, toppled the Ba'ath Party regime and removed Saddam Hussein from power, leading to occupation structures including the Coalition Provisional Authority and insurgencies featuring groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq and later developments involving the Iraqi Interim Government and processes like the Iraqi Governing Council. The transition precipitated trials including the trial of Saddam Hussein and long-term reconstruction and sectarian conflict with legacies debated in forums like the United Nations and scholarly analyses by historians of modern Middle East studies.