Iraq: the revolution of 1920 (Thawrat al-Ishrin)

07Iraq: the revolution of 1920 (Thawrat al-Ishrin)

• During its operations to expel the Turks from Iraq the English issued many statements affirming that they had come only to liberate it from the Turks.
• After the war it became clear to the Iraqis that they had come only to colonise them, and the fate of Syria was clear proof of what the English were hiding for Iraq.
• The English declared their mandate over Iraq in accordance with the decisions of the San Remo conference of 1920.
• The Egyptian revolution of 1919 had a great effect in encouraging the Arab peoples to revolt against the coloniser, so the revolution of 1920 broke out in Iraq, and the English government was obliged to retreat.
• A temporary national government was formed under Abdul Rahman el-Gillani in October 1920, and the way was prepared to entrust the throne of Iraq to Faisal bin Hussein; the allegiance (bi'a) was pledged to him at the instigation of the British authorities.
• The upper hand remained with Britain, while the Iraqi national movement kept holding to the country's right to independence.