Key changes in 2015:
- The following syllabus content is new
○ Key Question 5 (19th century) on
European imperialism
○ Key Question 7 (20th century) on
events in the Gulf 1970–2000
○ Depth Study A on the First World
War.
- The following content has been removed
○ Key Question 5 (19th century) on
Japanese modernisation
○ Key Question 7 (20th century) on the
United Nations
○ Depth Study G on Modern industrial
society
○ Depth Study H on Western
imperialism.
This is included in the new Question 5 (19th century) on European imperialism.
- The following syllabus content has been restructured
○ Depth Study E on South Africa
(formerly Southern Africa in the 20th century).
- The stimulus material that sets the context for each question in Component 1 has been replaced
- by a short opening sentence for each question.
- The number of marks available for each part-question in Component 1 has been changed as
- follows: Part (a) 4 marks, Part (b) 6 marks, Part (c) 10 marks
- Component 3 (Coursework) now requires candidates to produce one piece of extended writing.
- The word limit (2000 words) must not be exceeded.
- Component 4 (Alternative to Coursework) now requires candidates to answer one,
- non-structured question from a choice of two on their chosen Depth Study.
Key Question 7 (20th century) Why did events in the Gulf
matter? 1970-2000
Focus Points
• Why was Saddam Hussein able to come
to power in Iraq?
• What was the nature of Saddam
Hussein’s rule in Iraq?
• Why was there a revolution in Iran
in 1979?
• What were the causes and
consequences of the Iran-Iraq War, 1980–88?
• Why did the First Gulf War take
place?
Specified Content
• The rise to power of Saddam Hussein
in Iraq
• The rule of Saddam Hussein up to
2000, and the consequences of his rule for different groups
in Iraq
• The nature of the Shah’s rule in
Iran and the Iranian Revolution of 1979
• The causes and consequences of the
Iran-Iraq War, 1980–88; Western involvement in the war
• The causes, course and consequences
of the Gulf War, 1990–91.
Background:
The Gulf = states around the Persian Gulf = Iran + Iraq +
Kuwait + Saudi Arabia+ Bahrain + UAE + Oman
The region collectively owns around half of the world’s oil
- Collectively controls the economic well-being of
the developed world as oil is a necessity for industries, production and
transportation
-
Why was Saddam Hussein able to come to power in Iraq?
- - The rise to power of Saddam Hussein in Iraq
How was Iraq governed in 20th century?
Before WWI
|
Part of the Ottoman Empire
|
1919-32
|
Administrated by Britain as a League of Nations mandate
|
1921-32
|
Britain imposed the Hashemite monarchy on Iraq
|
1932
|
Became independent
|
1958
|
Hashemite monarchy overthrown by General Abdul Karim
Qassem
|
1963 Feb
|
Qassem overthrown by the Baath Party
|
1963 Nov
|
Baath Party overthrown by factions within the party
|
1968
|
President Arif overthrown by Baath Party. Ahmad Hassan
al-Bakr became president
|
1979 July
|
Saddam Hussein became president
|
Saddam Hussein’s uncle Khairallah Tulfah (army officer in
Tikrit)
- - Instilled Arab nationalism in Saddam’s mind and
a hatred of the Hashemite monarchy that ruled Iraq under Britain’s help
1957
|
Inspired by his uncle’s political views, joined the Baath
Party
Participated in violent anti-government activities
|
1958
|
Assassinated a local government official in Tikrit who had
informed against him
|
1959
|
Selected by the Baath Party to assassinate General Abdul
Karim Qassem (Iraq’s ruler at the time).
injured in the failed attempt, exile in Damascus
|
1959-63
|
Education in Cairo, Egypt
|
1963 Feb
|
Had the opportunity to return to Iraq as Qassem was
overthrown and killed. Qassem replaced by army officers and Baath Party.
Saddam given a minor position at the Central Farmer’s Office
|
1963
|
Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr (from Tikrit, and Khirallah Tulfah’s
cousin) became prime minister. Saddam immediately joined his faction.
|
1963
|
Yet the Baathists were overthrown as President Abdul Salam
Arif lost patience with the party’s infighting. This benefitted Saddam as the
extremists within the party were discredited, whereas he and Bakr’s influence
rose.
|
1964
|
Became member of the Regional Command.
Began to acquire control over the military, security
forces of the party.
Plotted a coup against president Arif, but attempt failed
and imprisoned.
|
1966
|
Escaped from prison
Concentrated on restructuring the party’s organization in
Iraq, forming the security apparatus, establishing a new military force.
Began to connect with a group of senior army officers in
the government who were sympathetic to the Baath cause.
|
1968
|
A coup overthrew President Arif
Bakr became president. Saddam appointed Deputy Chairman of
the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). Started to use RCC to eliminate all
opponents and keep officers loyal to him.
|
1972
|
Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with USSR
Strongly supported the nationalization of Iraq’s oil
|
1979
|
With Bakr’s health deteriorating, Saddam maneuvered his
resignation and became president of Iraq (aged 42).
|
What was the nature of Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq?
- - Ruled as a totalitarian dictator – not only was
he the president, but he was also the Chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council (RCC), Prime Minister, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army
- - He modeled his regime on that of Stalin (loved
to read Stalin’s biographies and carefully studied his techniques of
government)
-
Immediately in 1979, he set out to oust those
who questioned his power:
o
RCC Secretary-General Mashhadi had demanded a
vote on the validity of the process. He was dismissed and accused of being part
of a conspiracy to overthrow the Baathist regime.
o
Mashhadi was brought to this meeting where he
delivered a fabricated confession of his crimes against the state.
o
66 other alleged co-conspirators were also tried
(including Adnan Hussein al-Hamdani, a former friend who had just been
appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the President’s Office).
o
22 were sentenced to death. 33 were to prison.
-
Suppressing the Kurds with brutality 1987-1988,
1991:
o
The Kurds, who comprised of 20% of population in
the oil-rich north of the country, demanded independence
o
Saddam destroyed half of Kurdistan’s villages
and towns, killed thousands of Kurds with mustard gas, cyanide, displacing more
than a million people
o
Many Kurds were housed in concentration camps in
the Iraqi desert
o
Halabja Massacre in March 1988: Iraqi planes
dropped poison gas over the area killing 5000 people while injuring another
10,000
-
Suppressing the Shiites with brutality 1991
o
60% of the population
o
Central/southern part of Iraq
o
Hostile to the Sunni majority
o
After the revoluts which started in Basra and
spread to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, the Republican Guard stormed
into the rebel strongholds carrying out arrests and summary executions.
o
Civilians were roped to the tanks as human shields
while children were shot on sight.
o
Saddam then attacked Marsh Arabs (SE Iraq) as
Saddam was determined to build a new waterway which involved destroying the
marshes and displacing a historical settlement. Many were killed by chemical
attacks or starved to death. Marsh Arabs’ population dropped from 250000 to
30000.
Totalitarianism
- Ruled with a small group of trusted party members and family members
- Saddam’s Baath Party controlled every aspect of life – political, social, economic and military
- Baath ideology and worshipping Saddam were compulsory in schools.
- Many youth groups carried out brainwashing programs of Baath ideas
- Tight media censorship meant that Iraqis were unlikely to have contact with any views critical of Saddam’s regime.
- All criticism of government policy was a capital offence
- Special courts where all verdicts were controlled by Saddam
- Membership of the Baath Party was required for all public offices, civil jobs, and even university admissions.
- The most important jobs in the government were all held by Saddam’s closest relatives e.g. Major of Baghdad was his uncle, Defence Minister, Interior Minister and Head of Intelligence were all his cousins
Personality Cult
-
cultivate popularity and make Iraqi people
love and obey him, Saddam launched a nation-wide campaign projecting himself as
an all-powerful, fatherly leader of the nation.
o
A permanent exhibition about Saddam in Baghdad
o
His life story regularly featured in newspapers
and magazines
o
An autobiographical film about his life “the Long
Days” was produced by the Iraqi Ministry of Information.
o
The press constantly glorified Saddam’s
achievements
o
His portraits adorned streets, highways and
government offices
o
200 songs were written in praise of Saddam
o
Evening TV news would begin with a song about
Saddam
Modernization and Nationalization
- Nationalization of the Iraqi oil industry in 1972 – oil revenues increased from $476 million to $26 billion in 1980.
- This helped to carry out an extensive modernization program in the economy, social facilities and institutions
- Wage rises, tax cuts subsidies for basic foodstuffs
- Extension of electrification, heavy industries (e.g. steel, petrochemicals, coal), railroads, oil pipelines
- A new radio and television network
- Major building programs of schools and hospitals
- Helped increase Saddam’s support
Military expansion
- Since early 1980s, military expenditure became the priority
- Arms trade with Soviet Union, France, Yugoslavia and Brazil, in tanks, bombers, helicopters, aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, artillery
- Army increased from 10 to 12 divisions
- Attempted to build an arsenal of non-conventional weapons e.g. chemical, biological and nuclear weapons
- First chemical warfare plant near Akashat by July 1979.
- 1980s, produced Distilled Mustard, Tabun and VX, as well as anthrax, typhoid and cholera.
- Nuclear program less successful: purchased the Osiraq research reactor from France in 1976, but it was destroyed by the Israelis in 1981.
- Further attempts to develop a nuclear capacity were frustrated by Allied bombing raids during the Gulf War in 1990.
Cambridge IGCSE History (0470) – new changes in syllabus 2015
