Britain's Policy Towards Industry in Iraq 1914-1939

Abstract

     Industry is one of the most important pillars of the economy of any country. It is also the most prominent sign of the development of countries because it represents production, and this is a matter that no one disagrees upon. Therefore, the industries in the countries that fell under the domination of the occupation, or what was called colonialism, did not receive any interest in that aspect, and among those countries is Iraq. Its industry fell behind during the Ottoman era and continued to be neglected during the British era. The latter sought to make Iraq an agricultural country, not an industrial one, by adopting policies to support agriculture by relying on tribal sheikhs and landlords, without industry receiving that support.