ABSTRACT
The political system many Iraqis viewed as an instrument of foreign imperialism would be swept away in the 1958 revolution. A revolutionary left-leaning government led by General Abd al-Karim Qasim attempted to strengthen Iraqi patriotism and accomplish economic and social reforms. The Iraqi regime, fearing fighting could spread from Lebanon and threaten the Jordanian monarchy, which was federated with Iraq, ordered Iraqi forces to Jordan. The revolutionary government abolished the monarchy and the constitution that supported its existence. The government created the Iraq National Oil Company to develop the former concession territory. The Qasim government was committed to accelerating economic and social development through central planning and investment in industrialization and related projects. The Iraqi regime, like other Arab governments, was humiliated by the huge Israeli victory. Iraq's inability to provide significant assistance to Arab forces in the war casts doubt on the competency of its succession of military-run governments.
