| Adoption of a constitution that provided for a parliamentary government under a monarchy. The political system was to prove more democratic in theory than in practice. Parliament consisted of two chambers, the lower one elected by restricted male suffrage and the upper house filled by royal appointment. The king was also responsible for appointing the cabinet, but did not have the power to dismiss it. The chief result of this constitutional constraint was political intrigue between the palace and the government as the king secretly tried to subvert governments that displeased him. The other crucial power in Iraqi politics, not named in the constitution, was of course the British administration, which usually sought to bolster the position of the king against the politicians. | 2 |
