ABSTRACT
Thus far, it should be clear that the Iraqi political system – the state – was created by an external power, acting mainly in its own interests and working primarily through the monarchy that it had established. The internal structure of this system was controlled and maintained largely by coercion but also by intrique and bribery. However, the interaction of contradictory forces within this system constituted a constant challenge to its superstructure. During 1935 and 1936 these forces threatened radically to change the main characteristics of the system until the intervention of the army in October 1936 averted that danger. The nature and degree of these internal contradictions will become clear by a close examination of three crucial events: the Assyrian question, King Faisal's death, and the tribal uprising of 1935-6.
