International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

A watershed in Iraq's modern history, this revolution was responsible for creating the broad parameter within which the vicissitudes of Iraq's sociopolitical contradictions took shape. The advent of the Allied armed forces during World War II meant a sudden rise in market demand for commodities backed up by good purchasing power. The wreckage of the war also led to supply disruptions from the West, which gave a new boost to industrial production in Iraq. The result of this spurt in industrial activities was the beginning of a very strong working-class movement, to be led by the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), which had momentous consequences for political trends in the future. Despite the imposition of martial law in Iraq between 1941 and 1946, the dynamic leadership of Yusuf Salman Yusuf (more popularly known as Fahd) created a mass base for the underground ICP, established in 1934. The ICP did not work for the overthrow of the Hashemite regime, which was a puppet of the UK, an ally of the USSR during World War II. However the communists played a leading role in the 15-day railway workers' strike in Iraq in April 1945. The striking workers got a wage hike but their union was declared illegal by the Iraqi authorities. The period after the lifting of martial law also saw the development of a large number of important political parties, such as the liberal National Democratic Party ... log in or subscribe to read full text