Imperialism and Empire in Iraq: Britain’s Informal Colony.

Abstract

This thesis explores informal Empire and illustrates how Iraq is defined as such during the interwar period, from 1919-1939. This is achieved through a study of how the British Empire interacted with Iraq. Fundamental to identifying informal Empire is understanding how imperialism takes shape. In this instance I outline definitions of informal Empire and use of case studies to show how Britain exerted control over Iraq without bringing the fledgling state into the Empire as a formal colony. Military aid was another characteristic of imperialism present in the case of Iraq. Oil is critical to this discussion as it provided motivation and was one of the primary reasons for the British presence in Iraq. The second chapter explains the economic and strategic military advantages Britain gained through controllin a supply of oil. The presence of oil advanced conversations at the heights of government as to how best to control the flow of oil. The apparatus of control is a central focus of this study. Britain sought greater, sweeping controls over every aspect of the Empire which was in-part due to the poor economic conditions facing Britain and the world after the First World War. Economisation acts as another motive. Policy makers in the government made sweeping and pervasive budget cuts across every aspect of the British government, both at home and abroad. By controlling Iraq and the oil which lay buried beneath the desert Britain could more easily control the price of oil. Military power and imperialism were invariably interconnected. Iraq was home to multiple RAF bases. The RAF was seen as crucial to a cost effective imperial defence apparatus and Iraq was uniquely placed in between the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey, India, and Persia. Geopolitically, Iraq lay within an important region in terms of trade, commerce, and defence for the Empire. As a result, Britain constructed an apparatus of control in Iraq to cement British influence over policy.