The Golden Square ( ar, المربع الذهبي, ''al-Murabbaʿ al-dhahabī'') or Four Colonels ( ar, العقداء الأربعة, ''al-ʿiqdā' al-arbaʿa'') was a

cabal A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. T ...

of pro- fascist 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 Rashid Ali al-Gaylaniin Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address higher standing ...

in his overthrow of government in 1941, briefly instituting the Golden Square National Defense Government. However, the

Anglo-Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq under Rashid Gaylani, who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état, with assistance from Germany and Italy. The ca ...

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 Arab nationalist military officers who were greatly influenced by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Ambassador Fritz Grobba and, in turn, greatly influenced politics in Iraq during the 1930s and early 1940s.

Members

The members of the Golden Square were

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh ( ar, صلاح الدين الصباغ; 1899–1945) was an Iraqi Army officer and Arab nationalist that led the Golden Square group which had opposed the government at the time and had highly influenced politics between ...

, Colonel

Kamil Shabib Colonel Kamil Shabib (Arabic: كامل شبيب; 1895 – 20 August 1944) was one of the Four Colonels of the Golden Square, a pro-Nazi cabal that briefly overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq in 1941. When the British intervened and the cou ...

, Colonel

Fahmi Said Colonel Fahmi Said ( ar, فهمي سعيد; 1898 – 1941) was one of the Four Colonels of the Golden Square, a pro-Nazi cabal that briefly overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq in 1941. When the British intervened and the coup was suppressed, ...

, and Colonel

Mahmud Salman Colonel Mahmud Salman (; 7 January 1889 – 5 May 1942) was the Commanding Officer in the Royal Iraqi Air Force in the late 1930s and as a member of the Golden Square, was one of the four principal instigators of the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état. Salm ...

. During the

, the four members of the Golden Square commanded units located in the

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

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 An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer, was the chief of the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. The members of the Golden Square were virulently anti-British. 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 Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

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 r ...

. The subsequent

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

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

Details

Members

Iraqi coup d'état

See also

Notes

References