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| 1937, Aug. 11 |
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| Assassination of army chief of staff Bakr Sidqi. Six days later Hikmat Sulayman, lacking the army's support, resigned as prime minister. All the social reforms proposed by his government were shelved and ignored until after the revolution of 1958. | 1 |
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| 1939–58 |
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| KING FAYSAL II. He was not yet four years old when he succeeded his father, Ghazi, who died in an automobile accident (April 4). Abd al-Ilah, the young king's uncle, served as regent until 1953 and remained active in Iraqi politics up to the revolution of 1958. | 2 |
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| 1940, Feb |
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| Another coup d'état under the leadership of the Golden Square, four young Arab nationalist colonels (Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh, Muhammad Fahmi Sa‘id, Mahmud Salman, and Kamil Shabib). With the backing of the palace, they kept Nuri al-Sa‘id in power as prime minister just as his government was on the verge of splitting up. Over the next two years, the Golden Square became the dominant force in Iraqi politics. This group increasingly tilted the government toward a strident pro-Arab, anti-British policy that had disastrous consequences for Iraq during World War II. | 3 |
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| 1940 March |
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| Formation of a new government under RASHID ALI AL-GAYLANI. The Golden Square stood in the background as the real power brokers, directing an anti-British policy that led to a British ultimatum (Nov. 1940) and the subsequent resignation of Rashid Ali as premier (Jan. 31, 1941). | 4 |
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| 1941, April 10 |
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| THE RASHID ALI COUP. An army coup, organized by the Golden Square, brought Rashid Ali back to power as prime minister. His government immediately opened contact with the Axis powers. In response to the government's anti-British activities, the British intervened militarily, forcing the coup leaders to flee the country (May 29). A pro-British government was established, and prominent supporters of the coup were executed, jailed, or deported. | 5 |
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| June 1–2 |
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| Anti-Jewish pogrom (Farhud) in Baghdad. Soldiers, paramilitary youth gangs, and crowds of citizens went rampaging through Jewish neighborhoods and business districts. The toll was high: 179 Jews killed, 586 businesses looted, and 911 buildings housing more than 12,000 people pillaged. The episode profoundly undermined the confidence of Iraq's Jews. | 6 |
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