The 1963 Ba'athist coup ended Qasim's rule in Iraq, bringing the Ba'ath Party to power for the first time and triggering mass killings of communists.
Key Facts
- Date of coup
- 8 February 1963
- Government ousted
- Abdul-Karim Qasim's government
- Duration of Ba'athist rule
- Approximately nine months
- Victims of post-coup massacre
- Hundreds to thousands of suspected communists
- Counter-coup date
- November 1963
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Iraqi Ba'ath Party, dissatisfied with Prime Minister Abdul-Karim Qasim's governance and his tolerance of communists, organized a military uprising. The party's Iraqi branch coordinated with sympathetic military officers to seize power and establish a Ba'athist state.
On 8 February 1963, Ba'athist military officers launched a coup that overthrew and killed Qasim. Abdul Salam Arif was installed as a ceremonial president, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became prime minister, and Ali Salih al-Sa'di controlled the powerful National Guard militia.
Following the coup, al-Sa'di's National Guard carried out massacres of hundreds or thousands of suspected communists and dissidents. The Ba'athist government lasted only nine months before Arif disarmed the National Guard in November 1963 and purged Ba'ath Party members from power.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ali Salih al-Sa'di, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, Abdul Salam Arif.
Side B
1 belligerent
Abdul-Karim Qasim.