Mesopotamian morass: Identity and anti-imperialism in Iraq 1933–1941
Abstract
Scholars have debated the nature and causes of nationalism in interwar Iraq since the end of the Second World War, with varying conclusions. One new school of thought presents a link between Nazi fascism and anti-Semitism and Iraqi nationalism. This thesis examines diplomatic, political, and intelligence documents regarding the Kingdom of Iraq from 1933 to 1941, bookended by the Simele Massacre and the Farhud. By linking these two terrible moments of violence with a diplomatic perspective of German, British, and Iraq relations, this study integrates proof of German ambivalence towards Arab nationalism with a simultaneous trend in anti-imperialist friction between Britain and Iraq. Certain minority groups, such as the Assyrians and the Iraqi Jews, found themselves associated with British imperialism, and this conflation of identity became the driving force behind the killings they encountered, not Nazi ideology. The study thus disassociates nationalism in Iraq from Nazi anti-Semitism and instead links it to resistance against continued British imperialism.
Degree
M.A.
Advisors
Holden, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Middle Eastern history|Modern history
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