The Revival of the July 14 Revolution in the city of Kifri

Abstract

This research on the impacts of the July 14 Revolution in Iraq holds special importance and significance. One of the main reasons for this importance is that most of Iraq’s events had direct or indirect effects on the city of Kifri, due to its geographical location, positioned between key cities such as Kirkuk and Baghdad.

This study relies on sources that show the July 14 Revolution had a strong influence on Kifri in many areas, including the economic, political, and social spheres. The research sheds light on these effects through references to documents and historical sources related to the topic.

Because of the presence of a large number of Aghas and landowners in the Kifri region, and after the revolutionary leaders called for agricultural reform, changes quickly took place, particularly in the political and social domains. Political parties, especially the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iraqi Communist Party, became very active in the area, and at times their rivalry had noticeable impacts locally.

Later, after the revolutionary leaders withdrew from the promises they had made to the Kurds, Abdul Karim Qasim arrested and suppressed Kurdish political leaders. In response, the Kurds resorted to self-defense and the establishment of the Peshmerga forces in different parts of Kurdistan, especially in the Kifri area. Before the September Revolution (1961), the KDP organizations in Kifri were active, carrying out various political and social activities.

This chapter consists of three main parts: Part 1: An introduction to the July 14 revolution and the Kurdish reception of the revolution and the relationship between Barzani and Abdulkarim Qasim.

Then the impact of these relations on the region is presented in the second part: the relationship between the nobles and farmers after the enactment of the agricultural reform law in Iraq and the third part: the reasons for the September Revolution in the region.