14 July Revolution
On 14 July 1958 army officers in Iraq overthrew the Hashemite monarchy, killing King Faisal II and proclaiming a republic.
Overview
The pro-Western monarchy, closely associated with Britain and the Baghdad Pact, faced growing nationalist opposition. Officers of the Free Officers group led by Abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif used troops moving through Baghdad to seize the city. The young King Faisal II and members of the royal family were killed at the palace, and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said was killed the next day. Qasim became prime minister of the new republic, withdrew from the Baghdad Pact, and introduced land reform. He was himself overthrown and killed in a Baath Party coup in 1963. The revolution ended British influence in Iraq and began a long era of military rule.
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