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By the end of World War II, Iraq entered an era of progress, whether in the economy, social culture, or urban development. The flourishing economy that followed the increase in oil revenue was the main factor that motivated and drove the urban development processes and forged its new foreign policy, precisely after increasing Iraq’s income around four times in one year. This raised the oil’s importance and made it part of the political and economic struggles, whether between Iraq and the West or, significantly, between Iraqi governments and the local people. Thus, to manage and deal judiciously with this enormous budget, the government calls for an economic reform program to be incorporated into the new general policy. This was achieved by establishing a semi-autonomous institution that would concentrate its efforts on a more comprehensive development program. Founding the Iraqi Development Board (IDB) was an ambitious step to develop and modernize the country through exploiting the oil revenues wisely. Paul W.T. Kingston argues that the Development Board could be considered one of the pioneering institutions in the Middle East and the emerging Third World that led to Iraq’s development despite the internal and regional political upheavals. Within this changing economy, Baghdad was recognized as a promising city that experienced a series of dramatic changes associated with political, industrial, educational, and social-cultural changes. This vital environment helped to emerge and shape new movements of architecture that aimed to enhance the presence of Baghdad as a capital city, in addition to empowering political independence and reshaping the national identity. The proposed chapter aims to explore and understand the emergence of the city and the notion of national identity. It interweaves and argues a variety of discussions around the social-cultural, economic, and political environment that shaped Baghdad as a modern capital of the new nation and the different political machinations that manipulated the architecture and the master plan of the city to enforce its legitimation and its independence vision. It traces the period between 1948 and 1968 when various political powers worked to re-identify the national identity and mobilize the city’s urban development as a tool to reinforce its different ideologies.

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The Complexities and Contradictions of Baghdad’s Social, Cultural, Political, and Urban Transformation During the Post-Oil Era

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Ula Merie

摘要

By the end of World War II, Iraq entered an era of progress, whether in the economy, social culture, or urban development. The flourishing economy that followed the increase in oil revenue was the main factor that motivated and drove the urban development processes and forged its new foreign policy, precisely after increasing Iraq’s income around four times in one year. This raised the oil’s importance and made it part of the political and economic struggles, whether between Iraq and the West or, significantly, between Iraqi governments and the local people. Thus, to manage and deal judiciously with this enormous budget, the government calls for an economic reform program to be incorporated into the new general policy. This was achieved by establishing a semi-autonomous institution that would concentrate its efforts on a more comprehensive development program. Founding the Iraqi Development Board (IDB) was an ambitious step to develop and modernize the country through exploiting the oil revenues wisely. Paul W.T. Kingston argues that the Development Board could be considered one of the pioneering institutions in the Middle East and the emerging Third World that led to Iraq’s development despite the internal and regional political upheavals. Within this changing economy, Baghdad was recognized as a promising city that experienced a series of dramatic changes associated with political, industrial, educational, and social-cultural changes. This vital environment helped to emerge and shape new movements of architecture that aimed to enhance the presence of Baghdad as a capital city, in addition to empowering political independence and reshaping the national identity. The proposed chapter aims to explore and understand the emergence of the city and the notion of national identity. It interweaves and argues a variety of discussions around the social-cultural, economic, and political environment that shaped Baghdad as a modern capital of the new nation and the different political machinations that manipulated the architecture and the master plan of the city to enforce its legitimation and its independence vision. It traces the period between 1948 and 1968 when various political powers worked to re-identify the national identity and mobilize the city’s urban development as a tool to reinforce its different ideologies.