Key Facts
- Duration
- 1958–1968 (10 years)
- Founded by
- 14 July Revolution, 1958
- Ended by
- Ba'athist coup, July 1968
- Government type
- Unitary military republic, one-party rule
- Major internal coups
- 3 (1958, Feb 1963, Nov 1963)
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
On 14 July 1958, military officers led by Abdul-Karim Qasim and Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i overthrew the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq, killing King Faisal II and ending the Arab Federation with Jordan. The new republic centralised power in the national government under a military regime, dissolving the monarchy and establishing Qasim as prime minister with ar-Ruba'i as president.
Phase II: Zenith
Under Qasim's leadership from 1958 to 1963, the republic pursued independent nationalist policies, withdrawing from the Baghdad Pact and enacting land reform. Iraq asserted sovereignty over its oil resources and engaged regionally without aligning fully with pan-Arab movements, maintaining a distinct Iraqi identity distinct from Nasserist Egypt's influence.
Phase III: Decline
Arab nationalist officers overthrew Qasim in the Ramadan Revolution of February 1963, initiating a turbulent period of competing factions. Nasserists consolidated control after a second coup in November 1963. The republic's instability culminated in the Ba'ath Party seizing power in July 1968, ending the First Republic and inaugurating decades of Ba'athist authoritarian rule.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory