Interwar Mandates in Iraq, Trans-Jordan, Syria and
Lebanon
Other than Palestine not characterized by colonization and immigration
Mandates had characteristics in common
o Relied on external support
o Priority of establishments of local military, police forces, establish repressive apparatus
o Find allies by exploiting ethnic, regional and religious differences
o Identify cleavages in society and manipulate and exploit them
o Both british and french mandates economic policies to keep european control over key
economic interests
o GB was stronger, could show more tactical movability
They give certain identified iraqis and handed over day to day stuff to them
In 1932 they felt confident enough to end the mandate system in Iraq
Allowed them to join the league
o France weaker
Kept very tight administrative and military control
Kept it until collapse in WWII
Degree of french influence lingered in lebanon
But syria ended in WWII
o British officials in Iraq typically those who had experience from India
o French officials ussually people with experience in Algeria and Morroco
o State building in Syria and Iraq preceded more or less from sratch
o Less so in Lebanon
o They tried to bring in syria and iraqis who served the ottoman government
o Pool of trained people small, so had to recruit the former ottoman workers
Problem as these were some of the people who most strongly associate
themselves as arab nationalists
As government officials believed in the modern state, wanted indigenous state
Euros needed these personel but they were often at odds
In the face of the opposition GB and france had to win them over
Main tactic was to play on differences in the people
Faysal ibn Husayn
o Son of sharif Husayn
o Made him the king of Iraq in 1921
o Government was quite weak, gradually won support of political class
o Most of iraq were sheas, but government mainly run by sunnis
o Most people where sheas but people in power were sunnis
o Country side turned over to tribal shaikes and land owners
o Pushed for them to take sole ownership of land
o Upto 25% where Kurdish and other speakers
Didn’t have much tie to the bagdad administration
o 1924/25 british pressing faisal to sign treaty to allow foreign ownership of all oil/future
oil in Iraq o In the end he had to give in, Iraq petroleum company, british, french, us ownership
o Iraqi governments stuctural dependance meant that british confident in ending
mandate, ended mandate in 1930 signaled end in 1932
Continuation of bases (mainly airbases) would stay
Iraqi foreign policy would align with british
Iraqi recognized the econom
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