Review Committee Against Repression and For Democratic Rights In Iraq, Saddam’s Iraq Revolution Or Reaction? Zed Books Ltd, 1989

  

Saddam’s Iraq Revolution Or Reaction? was an anthology put together by the Committee Against Repression and For Democratic Rights In Iraq. It is part history and part diatribe against Saddam Hussein. Like any collection the chapters are up and down. The historical sections are good as well as the analysis of the development of the economy. That’s thanks to the inclusion of authors such as historians Marion and Peter Sluglett.

 

The majority of the chapters are history. They cover the development of the country from World War I to the rule of Saddam Hussein. There is a chapter on the Kurds, on the security forces, the opposition parties such as the Communists and the growth of the economy.

 

The chapters on the economy for instance have some good analysis. They track how agriculture shaped the country and its politics. Large landlords dominated not only farming but the government as many of them became parliamentarians. Most moved to towns and cities where they invested in real estate and trade solidifying their power. In turn, Baghdad was focused upon their needs at the expense of the workers and developing the rest of the economy. Manufacturing suffered as a result. The following sections detail how oil took over and continued to hinder the economy.

 

Another section talks about how the oil boom created a new class of businessmen who became dependent upon government contracts. In the 1970s petroleum prices skyrocketed with the OPEC boycott filling Baghdad’s coffers with money. The Baath Party wanted to use that to diversify the economy and create industry. Instead most of this money went into a new business class who got public contracts but didn’t have the capabilities to fulfill the government’s plans. They profited while development lagged.

 

Usually books published by opposition parties are full of diatribes against the regime they are against. There are a few parts of Saddam’s Iraq Revolution or Reaction? that are like that but thankfully the majority are not. Most of the writing is on the history of the country up to the Iran-Iraq War and they have depth and analysis to them. That makes it a decent book for background to the country.

 

Link to all of Musings On Iraq’s book reviews listed by topic