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northeastern Iraq. By 1931 oil revenues made up 20 percent of
government income, and oil had begun to be a source of power to
those in office.
During this time, however, Arab nationalists continued to
oppose both the British presence in Iraq and the monarchy of King
Faisal. In 1929 Great Britain announced its plan to end its man-
date over Iraq and allow the country to become independent. In
October 1932 Iraq joined the League of Nations as an independent
nation. However, British influence over the king remained strong,
and a treaty between Britain and Iraq permitted British forces to
use air bases in the country.
Continuing tensions between Arabs and Kurds, as well as
among Sunnis, Shiites, and Christians, prevented the government
from achieving stability. There were also problems with the region’s
borders, which had been drawn arbitrarily by the European pow-
ers. The boundaries limited trade outside of the country, contribut-
ing to an economic depression, and also led to skirmishes between
Iraq and its neighbors Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
When King Faisal died suddenly in 1933, the crown went to his
21-year-old son, Ghazi. However, the new king was unable to man-
age the factions within Iraq’s government. During the years of his
rule, many problems surfaced or got worse. Tribes in the remote
areas of Iraq revolted against the central government, and in the
north the Kurds tried to gain independence. At the same time, Iran
reopened an old dispute with Iraq over the use of the Shatt al Arab
waterway, part of the border between their two countries. To gain
more control of the waterway, Iran challenged the border.
At the height of the tensions, in 1939, King Ghazi was killed in a
car crash. His son, Faisal II, became king, but because the boy was
only three years old, his uncle, Abdulillah, became
regent
, with
authority to rule until Faisal II was old enough to take the throne.
In September 1939 the Second World War began in Europe when
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