Revolutions of 1917–1923 Codexery

Iraqi Revolt

A 1920 uprising for Iraqi independence from British rule.

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The 1920 Iraqi Revolt was a widespread uprising against British rule that united Shia and Sunni communities, tribal groups, urban masses, and Iraqi officers in Syria.[1] Although it achieved initial success, the British suppressed the revolt by October 1920, though some elements continued until 1922.[1]

Key facts and history

The British administration replaced most Ottoman officials with British ones, and many Iraqis feared incorporation into the British Empire.[2] Discontent materialized in May 1920 with mass meetings and demonstrations in Baghdad.[3] The British used aircraft reinforcements authorized by War Secretary Winston Churchill, which shifted the advantage to the British.[4] A rebellion that occurred in Najaf between March and May 1918, opposing British authority, is frequently considered a forerunner to the 1920 uprising.[5]

Following World War I, the League of Nations suggested establishing mandates for areas previously held by the defeated Central Powers, a concept that inhabitants of the former Ottoman provinces worried would simply be European imperialism under a different label.[6] Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi, a prominent Shia mujtahid, proclaimed a fatwa that made it forbidden to work for the British administration.[2] Following a fatwa from Ayatollah al-Shirazi that allowed the use of defensive force if the English prevented Iraqis from obtaining their rights, an armed rebellion commenced in late June 1920.[7] By the end of July, tribal fighters had taken command of the majority of the mid-Euphrates area, and the insurrection then expanded to the lower Euphrates and the vicinity of Baghdad.[8]

What the research sources say

The Guardian article also reports that the army had gassed Iraqi rebels in 1920 "with excellent moral effect".[9] According to a 2003 Guardian article, the RAF's operations during the revolt involved 4,008 flight hours, the release of 97 tons of bombs, and the discharge of 183,861 rounds, resulting in close to 9,000 Iraqi fatalities.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Atiyyah, Ghassan R. Iraq: 1908–1921, A Socio-Political Study. The Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 1973, 307; Atiyyah, Ghassan R. Iraq: 1908–1921, A Socio-Political Study. The Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 1973, 307; Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p7. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 41; Dockter, "Churchill and the Islamic World - Orientalism, Empire and Diplomacy in The Middle East.", London: I.B. tauris & Co Ltd, 2015, p. 52–84; Vinogradov, Amal. "The 1920 Revolt in Iraq Reconsidered: The Role of Tribes in National Politics," International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol.3, No.2 (Ap; Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 41 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kadhim, "Reclaiming Iraq: The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State", University of Texas Press, 2014, p. 1–223; Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 43 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vinogradov, Amal. "The 1920 Revolt in Iraq Reconsidered: The Role of Tribes in National Politics," International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol.3, No.2 (Ap (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Haddad, "Political Awakenings in an Artificial State: Iraq, 1914-20", academia.edu, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 40; Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 40 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: al-Rahimi, 'Abd al-Halim, Al-haraka al-Islamiyya fi al-'Iraq: al-juthur alfikriyya wa al-waqi' al-tarikhi (1900–24) (The Islamic Movement in Iraq: Ideological R (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Iraqi Revolt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 43; Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 43 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Our last occupation - Gas, chemicals, bombs: Britain has used them all before in Iraq", The Guardian, Jonathan Glancey, 19 April 2003, Retrieved 16.05.2012.. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Iraqi Revolt (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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