| Iraqi Intifada | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 23 August - 23 November 1952 | ||
| Location | |||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
no centralized leadership | |||
TheIraqi Intifada (Arabic:انتفاضة العراق) was a series of national strikes and violent protests against the rulingHashemite monarchy and theAnglo-Iraqi Treaty. Inspired by theEgyptian Revolution andIranian Prime MinisterMohammad Mosaddegh'snationalization of oil, the revolutionaries wanted to forceFaisal II's abdication, transform the state into a republic, and assert Iraq's full independence from Britain by assuming control over its own foreign affairs.[1]
Port workers inBasra went on strike on 23 August 1952. Students at Iraq's College of Pharmacy followed suit on 26 October. TheIraqi Communist Party, which had been behind the1948 riots, played a leading role in the disturbances.[2] Though the protesters were emphatically anti-monarchical, they were positively disposed to the military, a symbol of national unity and Iraqi independence.[3] Faisal II's uncle, ruling Regent 'Abd al-Ilah, replacedMustafa Mahmud al-Umari with GeneralNureddin Mahmud on 23 November but he made no concessions to the protesters. Protesters denounced Mahmud and demanded his resignation in favor of theNational Democratic Party'sKamil al-Chadirchi, who had briefly served asBakr Sidqi's Economic Minister after the1936 revolution.[4] Mahmud cracked down, instituting martial law and a curfew, shutting down political parties and newspapers, and detaining leading protesters.[1] In 1953,Jamil al-Midfai, a civilian politician, was elected to succeed Mahmud. In May, Faisal II became an adult and assumed the role and responsibilities of the king.
In 1958, Army officersoverthrew the monarchy in a coup d'état, murdering the royal family.
