The Golden Square ( ar, المربع الذهبي, ''al-Murabbaʿ al-dhahabī'') or Four Colonels ( ar, العقداء الأربعة, ''al-ʿiqdā' al-arbaʿa'') was a
cabal of pro-
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
army officers of the
Iraqi armed forces who played a part in Iraqi politics throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. They conspired to overthrow the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq and expel the British presence in Iraq. The activities of the Golden Square culminated in supporting
Rashid Ali al-Gaylani in his
overthrow of government in 1941, briefly instituting the Golden Square National Defense Government. However, the
Anglo-Iraqi War resulted in the disbandment of the Golden Square.
Details
The Golden Square included the four most important leaders of the "Circle of Seven". The Circle of Seven was a group of
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arab nationalist
Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...
military officers who were greatly influenced by
German Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
Fritz Grobba
Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba (18 July 1886 – 2 September 1973) was a German diplomat during the interwar period and World War II.
Early life
He was born in Gartz on the Oder in the Province of Brandenburg, Germany. His parents were Rudolf Grob ...
and, in turn, greatly influenced politics in Iraq during the 1930s and early 1940s.
Members
The members of the Golden Square were
Colonel Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh, Colonel
Kamil Shabib, Colonel
Fahmi Said, and Colonel
Mahmud Salman. During the
Anglo-Iraqi War, the four members of the Golden Square commanded units located in the
Baghdad area. Salah ad-Din al-Sabbagh was commander of the Iraqi 3rd Infantry Division. Kamal Shabib commanded the 1st Infantry Division. Fahmi Said commanded the Independent Mechanized Brigade. Mahmud Salman, the one non-
Army officer, was the chief of the
Air Force.
The members of the Golden Square were virulently
anti-British
Anti-British sentiment is prejudice, persecution, discrimination, fear or hatred against the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government, British people, or the Culture of the United Kingdom, culture of the United Kingdom.
Argen ...
. In time, these men represented real power as successive Iraqi governments sought the support of the military for survival. The members of the Golden Square looked to
Nazi Germany to
support them and, for his part, Grobba enthusiastically encouraged them to do so.
Iraqi coup d'état
On 1 April 1941, Rashid Ali and the Golden Square launched a
coup d'etat to topple the government of the regent, Prince
'Abd al-Ilah
'Abd al-Ilah of Hejaz, ( ar, عبد الإله; also written Abdul Ilah or Abdullah; 14 November 1913 – 14 July 1958) was a cousin and brother-in-law of King Ghazi of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and was regent for his first-cousin once re ...
. The subsequent
Anglo-Iraqi War ended disastrously for Rashid Ali and the members of the Golden Square who, for the most part, fled Iraq as the British closed in on
Baghdad.
See also
*
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...
*
Iraqi Air Force
*
Party of National Brotherhood
Notes
References
*
*
*
*{{cite book, first=Charles , last=Tripp , title=A History of Iraq , publisher=Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge , location=Cambridge , year=2002 , pages=311 , isbn=978-0-521-52900-6
1941 disestablishments in Iraq
20th century in Iraq
Arab nationalist organizations
Far-right politics in Asia
Fascism in the Arab world
Iraqi anti-communists