Why did a group from the Iraqi army seize control of the government and wage a disastrous war against Great Britain, rejecting British and liberal values for those of a militaristic Germany? What impact did these actions have on the regime of Saddam Hussein?
Departing from previous studies explaining modern Iraqi history in terms of class theory, Simon shows that cultural and ideological factors played an equal, if not more important, role in shaping events. In 1921 the British created Iraq, and an entourage of ex-Ottoman army officers, the Sharifians, became the new ruling elite. Simon contends that this elite, returning to an Iraq made up of different ethnic, religious, and social groups, had to weld these disparate elements into a nation. Pan-Arabism was to be the new focus for loyalty. Schools and the army became the means through which to implement it, and a series of military coups gave the officers the chance to act out the ideology. The result was an abortive revolt against Britain in 1941. The legacy of the revolt is still apparent in the next two generations of Iraqi officers that led to the regime of Saddam Hussein.