Ministry of Education / General Directorate of First Karkh Education / Educational Supervision

Abstract

This research analytically examines the profound repercussions of the Great Depression (1929-1933), known as the "Great Depression," on Iraqi society during a highly sensitive period in its modern history—the years immediately followed the independence of the Iraqi state and its accession to the League of Nations. It highlights how the shock of the crisis, which originated in the centers of the advanced capitalist economy, was transmitted to a fragile economy almost solely dependent on the export of a single crop, dates, in addition to the modest beginnings of oil exports. It analyzes the mechanisms through which this shock was transmitted, highlighting the central role of the collapse in date prices in global markets, especially in the major Indian market, and the accompanying sharp contraction in demand and the imposition of protective customs restrictions, which led to the paralysis of trade activity and the deterioration of national revenues. The research also traces the repercussions of the crisis on the emerging oil sector and on the monetary stability linked to the Indian rupee, and the resulting disruptions to domestic trade transactions and the government's ability to spend on infrastructure projects. The research then moves on to analyze the social repercussions represented by The deteriorating living standards of farmers and workers, the widening poverty gap, and the reshaping of the class map, along with an assessment of the response of the fledgling Iraqi state institutions and their attempts to mitigate the effects, given limited resources and external constraints. By linking global factors with local dynamics, this research seeks to provide a comprehensive vision of how the Iraqi economy and society responded to one of the greatest economic shocks of the twentieth century.