Percy Cox and Its Impact on Iraqi Politics

Abstract

    During World War I (1914-1918), Iraq witnessed a direct British occupation, during which British figures emerged who played a prominent political role in the Iraqi arena, Percy Cox was one of these political figures who had a great influence on the political scene in Iraq. He convinced the Iraqis that the Ottoman rule was reactionary and obsolete through a speech he gave upon the arrival of British forces in Basra, and proved to them that the British were not occupiers but rather liberators. In the context of the study, it became clear that (Percy Cox) had a role in the British administration in Iraq through the appointment of British employees, as he appointed them as advisors and then as experts in all government departments and even military departments, and allocated them huge salaries that cost the Iraqi budget a lot and special privileges, and worked in several ways to keep Iraq economically and administratively subordinate to Britain, in addition to his diplomatic relations and convincing King Faisal, who played a role in his installation as king on the throne of Iraq, to ​​impose the 1922 treaty that bound Iraq with many restrictions. The study also revealed the attempts of King Faisal and successive Iraqi governments during the years 1921-1932 to get rid of the influence of the British through legislation that stipulated the reduction of their powers, specifically after the rise of opposition voices from some members of the House of Representatives.